Aircraft model
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40 NG
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The DA 40 NG is the diesel version of Diamond's four-seat composite single. The Austro AE 300 is a piston engine derived from a Mercedes automotive block that burns Jet-A rather than avgas, with a single power lever instead of separate throttle, propeller and mixture controls. It cruises at 154 knots on about six gallons an hour, which is roughly half what a comparable avgas aeroplane uses.
That fuel figure is the entire argument, and outside North America — where avgas is expensive or simply unavailable — it is a decisive one. Two things qualify it. First, the AE 300 has a gearbox and a fixed replacement life on major components, so there is a scheduled overhaul cost that arrives whether or not anything has worn out; budget for it as a known expense rather than a surprise. Second, diesel support is thinner than Lycoming or Continental support, particularly in the United States. The airframe itself is excellent: benign handling, a very good safety record, and outstanding visibility. Useful load with full fuel is about 690 lb, so it is a three-adult aeroplane.
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Put DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40 NG side by side with up to two other models.
- DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40 NG
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 1 |
| Engine | Austro AE 300 (Jet-A piston diesel) |
| Horsepower | 168 hp |
| Fuel | JetA |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 2010 |
| Production end | current |
| Endorsements required | — |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 154 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 940 nm |
| Service ceiling | 16,400 ft |
| Climb rate | 760 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 49 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 1,470 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 1,230 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 948 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 687 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 2,888 lb |
| Empty weight | 1,940 lb |
| Usable fuel | 39 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 6.9 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $350,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $699,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,800 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $45,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $68,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 321 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 305 |
| Median year built | 2022.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 13 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 1 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 42.621 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 13.112 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 119 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 39.023 |
| Airworthiness directives | 24 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 3 |
| Rate confidence | ok |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 305 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 305 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 305 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing single-engine, piston, 1 engine, 5-6 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | 9.5 of 101 |
| Severity | 6.9 of 102 |
| Access | 9.9 of 103 |
| Support | 9 of 104 |
| Liquidity | 9.9 of 105 |
| Overall (sum of the categories shown) | 45.2 out of 506 |
These record scores treat DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40 NG as one design with the same aircraft registered under other names: it includes 9 aircraft registered under DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND GMBH. Prices are not combined.
- Accident record: class median 38.47 · 74 models in class.
- Severity: class median 16.67.
- Access: class median 1,823.
- Support: class median 96.
- Liquidity: class median 17.67.
- Each of the five categories places the model within its peer class, from 0 (the worst of the class) to 10 (the best): a position among comparable models, not a grade. The overall score is the sum of the categories shown that are scored, out of 10 for each (50 when all five are); it is given only when at least 4 of the five are scored, and it can be set against another model's only when both are in the same peer class and scored on the same categories.