Originally Posted by peterh337
You would need balls of steel to do something like this in a DA40TDi.
If you're referring to the over-water part - it's not that extensive and Adriatic Sea is full of ships so if the ditching part goes well, there shouldn't be any prolonged waiting for rescue. You always have the ability to select a route over land (which would be longer in this case, I agree), if you're not satisfied with the risks of flying over sea.
Regarding the DA40D - I fly one which is kept very well - maintenance-wise and I'm happy to fly at night / over sea. Many Thielert problems (including the infamous DA42 dual engine failure/feathering) were due to fact that pilots operated ECU controlled engines like they did the old O-320. There was even one ditching (I think in Belgium) where pilot set the cruise power at 45% and was unable to maintain altitude (go figure, DA40D isn't exactly what you would call an overpowered aircraft). If the engine is well-maintained and operated as per Diamond's recommendations, it should have more or less the same reliability - of course, you still have a single engine. And many DA40D (all which are equipped for IFR flying) have additional 12V/12Ah battery, which supplies the ECU B in case both alternator and main battery die - and this backup battery is tested for charge (must be at least 70%) before each takeoff and is also tested for voltage at every 100h inspection and replaced every 2 years.