Diamond DA40 Star TDI for Sale

Price on request

Available now: 2001 Citation Bravo — $2,300,000

Aircraft Specifications

Asking Price
Price on request
Model
DA40 Star TDI (Centurion 2.0)
Airframe
6,955 hrs
Engines
1 × Thielert / Centurion TAE 125-02 (2.0) diesel
Engine time
267 hrs since new/installation
Seats
4

Avionics

Description

This Diamond DA40 Star TDI is a four-seat, single-engine composite aircraft powered by a Thielert / Centurion TAE 125-02 (2.0) diesel engine running on jet fuel. The airframe shows 6,955 hours total time. The engine shows 267 hours, published as time since new or since installation. Power is managed through a FADEC single-lever control, so there is no separate propeller or mixture lever.

The propeller is an MT Propeller MTV-6-A/187-129 three-blade constant-speed unit, published with 639 hours or 58 months remaining, whichever comes first.

Avionics and equipment listed for this aircraft: a Garmin GTX 33 Mode S transponder (IFR), an integrated autopilot, an ELT (part number 455-0012), a full IFR pitot-static and altimeter pack, pitot heat and an electric flap system.

Year of manufacture, serial number, registration, location, inspection status and the make of the primary flight instruments are not part of the published data and are available on request, together with the logbooks. The asking price is on request.

The combination is unusual and worth understanding: a high-time airframe paired with a low-time engine. Gobbo Capital can arrange the full document package and a pre-purchase inspection before any commitment.

Consultant's Notes

The short version

This Diamond DA40 Star TDI for sale combines a high-time airframe with a low-time engine. The airframe shows 6,955 hours total time. The Thielert / Centurion TAE 125-02 (2.0) diesel shows 267 hours, published as time since new or since installation. The propeller is an MT MTV-6-A/187-129 three-blade constant-speed unit with 639 hours or 58 months remaining. Listed equipment includes a Garmin GTX 33 Mode S transponder, an integrated autopilot, an ELT (455-0012), a full IFR pitot-static and altimeter pack, pitot heat, FADEC single-lever power control and electric flaps. Year of manufacture, serial number and registration are not in the published data and are available on request. The price is on request.

What the DA40 Star TDI is

The DA40 is Diamond's four-seat, low-wing, fixed-gear single built largely from composite materials. The Star TDI is the variant fitted with a Thielert (now Continental) Centurion diesel instead of a Lycoming avgas engine. The Centurion 2.0, designated TAE 125-02-99, produces 135 hp, runs on Jet A-1 and is controlled by a FADEC through a single power lever. There is no mixture to set and no separate propeller lever.

Owners usually choose the TDI for two reasons. The first is fuel: jet fuel is easier to find than avgas at many European airfields, and it is often cheaper. The second is simplicity: single-lever operation suits training and rental fleets, and it suits private pilots who would rather think about the weather than about mixture settings. The trade-offs are a different maintenance philosophy (more on that below) and a narrower network of shops that know the engine well.

This particular DA40 Star TDI is not a low-time example. It is a working airframe that has recently received a low-time engine. That combination can be good value, but only if you understand both halves of it.

Reading the numbers: 6,955 hours on the airframe

Nearly 7,000 hours is a lot for a light single. Hours like these are normally built in school, club or rental use, with many short flights, many landings and many different pilots. Whether that is the history of this aircraft should be confirmed from the logbooks; the listing does not say.

High airframe time is not a defect in itself. Composite airframes do not corrode the way aluminium does, and a well-maintained DA40 can keep flying for a long time. But it changes what you look at:

- Landing gear and attachment points. Thousands of landings put load into the gear legs, mounts and brakes. Ask for the inspection history of these areas. - Repairs to the composite structure. Training aircraft get bumped. Any repair should be documented and carried out by a shop approved for Diamond composite work. - Life limits and ageing-aircraft inspections. Ask which airframe life limits and any time-dependent inspections apply at this total time under the current Diamond maintenance documentation, and where this airframe stands against them. - Wear items. Canopy, seals, flap actuation, interior surfaces and controls all see more use in a busy airplane.

None of these is a reason to walk away. They are the reason the price of a 6,955-hour airframe should sit below that of a low-time one, and the reason a pre-purchase inspection matters.

The engine: 267 hours on a Centurion 2.0

This is the strongest part of the listing. The Centurion is not overhauled in the traditional sense; it is managed on a time-between-replacement (TBR) basis, and at the limit the engine is exchanged. The gearbox and some components carry their own intervals and inspection requirements. In practice this means that the engine hours are a large part of the value of any DA40 TDI, and 267 hours is early in the life of an engine.

The published wording is "267 hrs since new/installation". That covers two different situations. A factory-new engine and an exchange engine installed 267 hours ago are not the same thing, and the paperwork will show which one this is. Before agreeing a price, ask for:

- the engine's own logbook and release documentation, showing whether it was new or an exchange unit; - the installation date, because calendar limits can matter as much as hours; - the current TBR figure and gearbox status that apply to this engine; - compliance with Continental (Thielert) service bulletins and airworthiness directives; - the FADEC software version and any recorded fault history.

The propeller: watch the calendar

The MT MTV-6-A/187-129 is published with 639 hours or 58 months remaining. Do the simple arithmetic: 639 hours spread over 58 months is roughly 130 hours a year. If you expect to fly less than that, the calendar limit will arrive first, and you should budget for the propeller overhaul on that date rather than on hours. A flight school flying several hundred hours a year will reach the hour limit first.

Also ask as of which date the 58 months were calculated. A figure quoted on a listing can be several months old by the time you sign.

Avionics: what the listing says, and what it does not

The equipment list is short and mostly functional. It confirms a Garmin GTX 33 Mode S transponder, described as IFR, an integrated autopilot, an ELT with part number 455-0012, and a full IFR pitot-static and altimeter pack. Pitot heat is fitted, which is what you want for IFR flight in cloud.

What the listing does not say is just as important:

- Primary flight instruments and navigators. The listing does not state whether the panel is a Garmin G1000 or a conventional instrument panel with separate navigators. The GTX 33 is a remote-mounted transponder controlled from another unit in the panel, so ask for a clear panel photo and the equipment list. - Autopilot make and model. "Integrated autopilot" could describe more than one system. Ask which one and which modes it has. - ADS-B and Mode S capabilities. Ask whether the transponder is extended squitter (ADS-B Out) capable, if that matters for where you plan to fly. - Pitot-static and altimeter checks. Ask for the date of the last check, since IFR use depends on it.

If the panel turns out to be a G1000, the aircraft is a capable IFR trainer and tourer. If it is a conventional panel, it may still be a sensible training aircraft, but the price should reflect it.

Who this DA40 Star TDI suits

It suits a school, club or operator that needs reliable hours at a low cost per hour and is comfortable with a well-used airframe. With 267 hours on the engine, the most expensive scheduled item in a DA40 TDI is a long way off. It can also suit a private owner who wants a diesel four-seater and is willing to trade airframe time for a lower purchase price.

It does not suit a buyer looking for a low-time, cosmetically perfect airframe. If that is what you want, this is not that airplane, and it is better said here than discovered on a viewing. It may also not suit a buyer who needs a specific glass cockpit or a specific autopilot until the panel details are confirmed.

What we would check before buying

1. Complete, continuous logbooks for airframe, engine and propeller, from new. 2. Damage and repair history, including any composite repairs and who carried them out. 3. Certificate of airworthiness and ARC (or national equivalent), valid and current. 4. Engine documentation: new or exchange, installation date, TBR status, gearbox, service bulletins. 5. Propeller: overhaul dates and the date on which the 58 months were calculated. 6. Airworthiness directives and Diamond service bulletins, with a compliance list. 7. Panel and autopilot: equipment list, panel photo and the last pitot-static and altimeter check. 8. A pre-purchase inspection at a shop with Diamond and Centurion experience. 9. Registration and transfer: current registry, and what is needed to move it to yours.

Frequently asked questions

What year is this Diamond DA40 Star TDI? The year of manufacture is not in the published data. It is available on request, together with the serial number and registration.

How many hours does the aircraft have? 6,955 hours total time on the airframe. The engine shows 267 hours since new or installation.

What engine does it have? A Thielert / Centurion TAE 125-02 (2.0) diesel running on jet fuel, with FADEC single-lever control and an MT three-blade constant-speed propeller.

How much life is left on the propeller? 639 hours or 58 months, whichever comes first, as published. Confirm the date the calculation was made.

Is it equipped for IFR? The listing describes an IFR transponder, an integrated autopilot, a full IFR pitot-static and altimeter pack and pitot heat. The type of primary flight instruments is not stated and should be confirmed before you rely on it for IFR.

What is the asking price? The price is on request. Contact Gobbo Capital for the figure and the full document package.

Can I arrange a pre-purchase inspection? Yes. We recommend one at a shop experienced with Diamond airframes and Centurion engines, and we can help organise it.