Wren Ronnie D TITAN II accident near Citra, FL
On September 17, 2022, a Wren Ronnie D TITAN II (airplane) was involved in an accident near Citra, FL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- September 17, 2022
- Place
- Citra, FL
- Aircraft
- Wren Ronnie D TITAN II · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 29.460°N, 82.028°W
- NTSB ID
- 20220918105958
Official records · ERA22FA422
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn September 17, 2022, about 1847 eastern daylight time, an experimental amateur-built Titan Tornado II airplane, N709RD, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Citra, Florida. The pilot and passenger were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. On the day of the accident, the pilot and passenger departed Patch O Blue Airport (FD02), Orange Springs, Florida about 1835. According to ADS-B track data provided by the FAA, the airplane made a left turn after takeoff and climbed to about 900 ft above mean sea level while circling back towards FD02, where it appeared to make an approach to the airport. Track data was lost briefly, but then reappeared on the other side of the airport, with the airplane making a left climbing turn and circling back toward the point of departure as it continued to climb. As the airplane climbed and circled to the left within about a 1-mile area, it reached an altitude of just over 3,000 ft. The airplane then began to descend with varying ground speeds until the last track data showed a more significant descent rate. Track data was lost at 1846:47 when the airplane was at 2,200 ft, traveling at a groundspeed of 67 kts on a heading of 227°, about 2.0 miles south of the point of departure. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONThe pilot had served as a naval aviator for 18 years. After retiring from the United States Navy, he was employed as an airline pilot for about 23 years. According to FAA records, the pilot held an airline transport pilot certi
Probable cause
The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack and failure to maintain airspeed while recovering from an aerobatic maneuver, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall and loss of control. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s use of ethanol and other depressant medications, and his decision to operate the airplane outside of the published weight limitations.
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Browse: Florida
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
