Driggers Quillan E TITAN TORNADO N50F

Summary

On 29 November 2017 at about 20:30 local time, a Driggers Quillan E TITAN TORNADO registered N50F was involved in an accident near Mechanicsville, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 November 2017 at 20:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Mechanicsville, Virginia, United States

Nearest airport

Woods Farm Airstrip (VA50)

Coordinates

37.7081, -77.3003

Aircraft

Driggers Quillan E TITAN TORNADO

Registration

N50F

Category

Airplane

Year built

1999

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mechanicsville → Mechanicsville

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA18CA035

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and failure to detect water contamination in the fuel system, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power on takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot/owner reported that the engine lost partial power after takeoff and that he then conducted a forced landing to a field. The airplane nosed over during the landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that he subsequently disassembled and examined the airplane and that he found water in the fuel tank, which explained the partial loss of engine power. The pilot's failure to conduct an adequate preflight inspection and to detect water in the fuel system before takeoff led to the partial loss of engine power.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.