Titan TORNADO UNREG

Summary

On 2 July 1996 at about 11:07 local time, a Titan TORNADO registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Richland, New York, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 July 1996 at 11:07

Classification

Accident

Location

Richland, New York, United States

Coordinates

43.5694, -75.9708

Aircraft

Titan TORNADO

Registration

UNREG

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC96LA139

1 person died.

failure of the student pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, during an apparent go-around, which resulted in an inadvertent stall and subsequent collision with the terrain. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's lack of certification, and inadequate certification/approval of the aircraft.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The unregistered Titan Tornado, flown by a student pilot/co-owner, was observed on an approach to a private grass strip. A witness reported that as the airplane crossed over a hedge row, the nosed pitched up, and the airplane began to climb. At about 150 feet, the nose of the airplane dropped, and the airplane descended and struck the ground at a 45 degree nose down angle. The airplane had been assembled and flown for about 80 hours by Titan Aircraft, before it was purchased by the pilot as an ultralight with a 10 gallon fuel tank and without an airworthiness certificate. Examination of the airplane revealed no preimpact failure of the airframe or engine. No maintenance records were available for the airplane. The student pilot had received his student pilot certificate in October 1994, and had received about 10 hours of dual instruction. He did not solo, and no record of recent flight experience was available. A purchase agreement revealed that the airplane had been sold as a 'single place, ready to fly, used aircraft as is.'

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.