Aircraft model
DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 42
Everything here is true of every aircraft of the type, not of any one aircraft.
The Diamond DA 42 Twin Star was the first new light twin certified in decades and the first to run on Jet-A. Two 135 hp turbocharged diesels burn about eleven gallons an hour between them for 160 knots, which is roughly half what a comparable avgas twin uses, and the single-lever FADEC controls remove mixture and propeller management entirely.
The engines are also the reason to read the logbooks carefully. Thielert became insolvent in 2008, parts prices rose sharply and warranty support disappeared; the programme was bought and continued as Continental Diesel. These engines are replaced rather than overhauled at their time between replacement, and the gearbox and clutch are separately life-limited. Budget for those as a fixed hourly cost rather than a distant event. Later DA 42 NG aircraft use the more powerful Austro engine and are the ones most buyers should want.
Compare with…
Put DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 42 side by side with up to two other models.
- DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 42
What it is
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Landing gear | tricycle |
| Engines | 2 |
| Engine | Thielert Centurion 1.7 / Continental CD-135 (Jet-A piston diesel) |
| Horsepower | 135 hp |
| Fuel | JetA |
| Certification basis | FAR23 |
| Production start | 2004 |
| Production end | 2012 |
| Endorsements required | complex;multi-engine |
Performance
| Cruise speed | 160 KTAS |
|---|---|
| Range | 1,100 nm |
| Service ceiling | 18,000 ft |
| Climb rate | 1,180 ft/min |
| Stall speed (Vso) | 62 KCAS |
| Takeoff over 50 ft | 2,395 ft |
| Landing over 50 ft | 2,224 ft |
Load and fuel
| Seats | 4 |
|---|---|
| Useful load | 1,113 lb |
| Full-fuel payload | 604 lb |
| Max takeoff weight | 3,935 lb |
| Empty weight | 2,822 lb |
| Usable fuel | 76 gal |
| Fuel burn at cruise | 11 gal/h |
Cost of ownership
| Price, low | $420,000 |
|---|---|
| Price, high | $752,000 |
| Prices as of | 2026 |
| Engine TBO | 1,500 h |
| Overhaul cost, low | $60,000 |
| Overhaul cost, high | $85,000 |
The fleet and its record
| Registered, all time | 128 |
|---|---|
| Active fleet | 86 |
| Median year built | 2007.0 |
| NTSB events, last 10 years | 4 |
| Fatal events, last 10 years | 0 |
| Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years | 46.51 · thin base (low)1 |
| Personal-flying events per 1,000 active | 0 · thin base (low)2 |
| Ownership transfers, last 24 months | 18 |
| Transfers per 100 active | 20.93 · thin base (low)3 |
| Airworthiness directives | 41 |
| Directives, last 5 years | 5 |
| Rate confidence | low |
- Events per 1,000 active, last 10 years: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 86 active.
- Personal-flying events per 1,000 active: per 1,000 active aircraft · base 86 active.
- Transfers per 100 active: per 100 active aircraft · base 86 active.
Peer scores6
| Peer class | Fixed wing multi-engine, piston, 2 engines, 3-4 seats |
|---|---|
| Accident record | —1 |
| Severity | —2 |
| Access | —3 |
| Support | 4.3 of 104 |
| Liquidity | —5 |
- Accident record: class median 7.48 · 7 models in class.
- Severity: class median 7.14.
- Access: class median 1,060.75.
- Support: class median 95.
- Liquidity: class median 20.93.
- 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.