Titan TORNADO UNREG

Summary

On 23 June 2005 at about 20:13 local time, a Titan TORNADO registered UNREG was involved in an accident near Bath, Pennsylvania, 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

23 June 2005 at 20:13

Classification

Accident

Location

Bath, Pennsylvania, United States

Nearest airport

None

Coordinates

40.7411, -75.4086

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

Route

Moore Township → Unknown

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

IAD05LA083

1 person died.

The pilot/owner's failure to maintain adequate airspeed following a loss of engine power, which resulted in an inadvertent stall/spin. Factors in the accident were the stripped spark plug threads, and an inadequate preflight inspection by the pilot/owner.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot owner completed a preflight inspection of his unregistered, homebuilt airplane, and departed from the airstrip. The rotation and takeoff were at their customary points on the strip, and the airplane climbed on a "normal gradient." About 400 feet above ground level, the engine "burbled," and then the airplane "rocked a little" in the pitch and roll axis. The engine continued the burbling sound as it ran, and the airplane continued flying for 10 to 12 seconds before it "fell off on the left wing," descending almost vertically to the ground. Examination of the two-cylinder engine revealed that the forward spark plug of the rear cylinder was still attached to its ignition lead, but the plug was not installed, and hung next to the cylinder. The spark plug remained completely intact. Examination of the corresponding cast aluminum spark plug hole revealed stripped threads. The plug was reinserted into the hole, moved "side to side," and then withdrawn from the hole by hand. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a rating for airplane single engine land. His most recent application for a medical certificate was denied 16 years before the accident for "Administrative or Legal" reasons. The pilot reported 110 hours of total flight experience on that date.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.