Titan Tornado accident near Bath, PA
On June 23, 2005, a Titan Tornado (airplane) was involved in an accident near Bath, PA. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- June 23, 2005
- Place
- Bath, PA
- Aircraft
- Titan Tornado · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.741°N, 75.409°W
- NTSB ID
- 20050708X00961
Official records · IAD05LA083
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On June 23, 2005, at 1613 eastern daylight time, an unregistered, homebuilt Titan Tornado airplane, was destroyed when it impacted terrain following an uncontrolled descent near a private grass strip in Bath, Pennsylvania. The certificated private pilot/owner was fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed, for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91. In a telephone interview, the owner of the grass strip said that he witnessed the accident flight. He was well acquainted with the pilot/owner of the accident airplane, and the accident airplane was based at his strip for about one year. The owner of the strip watched the pilot perform a preflight inspection of his airplane, then they both went for coffee. After they returned, the pilot climbed in his airplane, started the engine, taxied, and then took off. 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 behind a stand of trees. The owner of the strip was asked about available forced landing areas surrounding the strip, and he replied, "There was no reason for the accident. He had plenty of altitude to return to the strip. Besides that, he was directly over a 45-acre field. He should have landed withou
Probable cause
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.
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Browse: Pennsylvania
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
