Titan TITAN TORNADO S N318WH

Summary

On 9 May 2020 at about 11:45 local time, a Titan TITAN TORNADO S registered N318WH was involved in an accident near Haskell, Oklahoma, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 May 2020 at 11:45

Classification

Accident

Location

Haskell, Oklahoma, United States

Nearest airport

Haskell (2K9)

Coordinates

35.8642, -95.6556

Aircraft

Titan TITAN TORNADO S

Registration

N318WH

Category

Airplane

Year built

2015

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Flight Test

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Haskell → Haskell

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Dawn

NTSB number

CEN20LA173

1 person was seriously injured.

The student pilot/builder’s addition of winglets to the stabilator, which resulted in flutter and overstress failure of the stabilator control horn.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The student pilot departed on a flight in a kit-built airplane to test the winglets he had recently installed on the airplane’s stabilator, which were intended to eliminate the airplane’s uncommanded yaw. The flight was the airplane's first winglet test flight away from the airport traffic pattern and at a higher altitude. The student stated that during the flight, he decreased the pitch attitude to level off at 2,000 ft above ground level and the airplane suddenly vibrated aggressively and it "felt like the tail was thumping." He decreased the engine power, but the thumping and vibrating continued, so the pilot pitched the airplane down for an off-field emergency landing. Before he was able to land, the airplane rolled inverted and descended into the trees, resulting in the separation of the right wing. Postaccident examination revealed that the stabilator control horn had fractured due to overstress and separated from the push-pull tube. According to an airplane kit manufacturer engineer, winglets added to the stabilator produce flutter. Based on the evidence, it is likely that the winglets led the stabilator to flutter, which overstressed the stabilator control horn and resulted in the control horn’s failure.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.