N50402Titan TORNADO II · 1995

On December 14, 2014, about 1243 eastern standard time, a Titan Tornado II, N50402, was substantially damaged when it impacted trees and terrain in Catlett, Virginia. The sport pilot was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight, which departed Warrenton Fauquier Airport (HWY), Warrenton, Virginia about 1230. The flight was conducted under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

According to a witness, when he observed the airplane, it was in level flight approximately 150 feet above ground level. Thirty seconds later the airplane "started having engine problems, like it was missing." With a model of an airplane in his hand, the witness demonstrated how the airplane completed multiple orbits to the right at the same altitude. As the airplane completed the third orbit, the engine noise ceased and the airplane descended vertically to a wooded area between two open fields, about 4.5 miles northeast of HWY.

Radar data provided by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) showed uncorrelated primary targets (no beacon or altitude information) in a track that began about 1.3 nautical miles southeast of the departure end of runway 15 at HWY about 1230. The track progressed in a clockwise fashion within a radius of about 3 miles from HWY before continuing eastward toward Walnut Hill Airport (58VA) in Calverton, Virginia. After passing 58VA, the track turned northward, with the last radar return located about 0.5 nautical mile south of the accident site, at 1242.

According to FAA records, the pilot held a sport pilot certificate with a category and class endorsement for airplane single-engine land. The certificate limitations were:

1. Holder does not meet ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) requirements.

2. Limited to Ercoupe 415 series without rudder pedals.

Examination of the pilot's logbook revealed he had logged 157 total hours of flight experience, of which 2 hours were in the accident airplane make and model. The pilot had flown the airplane on two previous occasions, the most recent of which was on May 6, 2014. Examination further revealed a flight instructor endorsement dated November 23, 2014, for completion of "3-axis training requirements".

The two-seat experimental light-sport, high-wing airplane was powered by a Jabiru model 2200A, 85-hp, four cylinder engine driving a two blade wooden pusher propeller. It was not equipped with a stall warning device or carburetor heating system, nor were either required. According to the manufacturer's specifications, the designed stall speed in the landing configuration was 35 mph. The flaps retracted stall speed was not specified. The most recent condition inspection was completed on December 11, 2014 at that time the airplane had accumulated 817 total hours in service, and 381 total engine hours in service.

The 1235 recorded weather observation at HWY included: wind 260 at 5 knots, 10 miles visibility, clear skies, temperature 15 degrees C, dew point 5 degrees C; altimeter setting 29.96 inches of mercury.

Review of the temperature and dew point on an FAA Carburetor Icing Probability Chart revealed that the potential for carburetor icing at glide engine power settings.

The wreckage was examined at the accident site, and all major components were accounted for at the scene. The wreckage path was in a wooded area, oriented on a heading of 254 degrees (true), and was 40 feet in length.

Flight control continuity was established from the flight controls to all control surfaces. Aileron control continuity was established through push-pull tube rod end fractures to the ailerons. The fractures demonstrated features consistent with tensile overload.

Fuel system continuity was confirmed from the fuel tank, through the unobstructed fuel filter, to the carburetor bowl. Fuel samples from the filter, carburetor bowl, and fuel tank tested negative for the presence of water. The 10 gallon fuel tank contained about 7 gallons of a blue fluid, similar in color to 100LL aviation fuel.

The engine remained attached to its mounts; however the fuselage structure supporting the left side mounts was fractured. The engine was displaced to the left and rotated clockwise about 90 degrees (as viewed from rear of airplane) and had impacted the inboard edge of the right flap. The wooden propeller remained attached to the crankshaft flange, and both blades were splintered and fractured; one blade about 1/3 span and the other blade about 1/2 span. The spinner remained attached to the propeller hub and was undamaged.

Engine crankshaft and valve train continuity was confirmed by hand rotation of the propeller and confirming rocker arm movement on all valves. Thumb compression was confirmed for each cylinder. The spark plug electrodes exhibited normal wear, and all were grey or brown in color, with no excessive sooting. The engine was removed from the airplane and each spark plug produced spark when connected to an inline tester while cranking the engine with the starter motor. The engine was operated on-scene, and ran continuously until the fuel supply was shut off.

No pre-accident mechanical deficiencies were noted with the engine or airframe that would have precluded normal operation at the time of the accident.

An autopsy was performed on the pilot by the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner, Commonwealth of Virginia. The cause of death was determined to be "Blunt head, neck and trunk trauma."

Toxicological testing of the pilot was conducted at the FAA Bioaeronautical Sciences Research Laboratory, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. The specimens from the pilot were negative for carbon monoxide, basic, acidic, and neutral drugs with the exception of:

-Fluconazole detected in Blood and Urine

-Metoprolol detected in Blood and Urine

According to the FAA Aerospace Medical Research website Fluconazole is used for treating fungal infections. Metoprolol is a beta-adrenergic receptor antagonist, "beta Blocker," used in the treatment of hypertension and certain arrhythmias.

In December 2014, the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) imposed operating restrictions on airplanes powered by Jabiru engines, in response to a "high, and increasingly high rate of loss-of-power events and other engine reliability issues" observed in Australia in 2014. CASA identified several, but not all, of the failure modes that contributed to these events.

One of the known common failure modes involves one or more "sticking" or improperly functioning valves, which may occur intermittently. This condition could cause a temporary loss of engine power, but then diminish or cease allowing the engine to subsequently be started and operated normally.

A follow-up examination of the engine included removal of the cylinder heads and disassembly of the valve train. No marks or signatures consistent with "sticking" or malfunctioning valves were present.

According to FAA-H-8023-25A, "Pilot's Handbook of Aeronautical Knowledge," Chapter 4, "The stalling speed of an aircraft is also higher in a level turn than in straight-and level ?ight. Centrifugal force is added to the aircraft's weight and the wing must produce suf?cient additional lift to counterbalance the load imposed by the combination of centrifugal force and weight. In a turn, the necessary additional lift is acquired by applying back pressure to the elevator control. This increases the wing's AOA, and results in increased lift. The AOA must increase as the bank angle increases to counteract the increasing load caused by centrifugal force. If at any time during a turn theAOA becomes excessive, the aircraft stalls.