Thursday, April 13, 2017

Flight Control System Malfunction/Failure: Titan Tornado I, N5131H; accident occurred April 13, 2017 near Spanaway Airport (S44), Pierce County, Washington

Picture 1: Aileron System





The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.  

Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration Flight Standards District Office; Renton, Washington

Aviation Accident Factual Report - National Transportation Safety Board:  https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf


Investigation Docket - National Transportation Safety Board:
http://registry.faa.gov/N5131H

Location: Spanaway, WA
Accident Number: WPR17LA087
Date & Time: 04/13/2017, 0940 PDT
Registration: N5131H
Aircraft: TITAN TORNADO I
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Defining Event: Flight control sys malf/fail
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General Aviation - Personal 

On April 13, 2017, about 0940 Pacific daylight time, an experimental Titan Tornado I airplane, N5131H, collided with terrain shortly after takeoff from Spanaway Airport, Spanaway, Washington. The commercial pilot was seriously injured. The airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight which was originating at the time and was destined for Auburn, Washington.

Witnesses stated that they observed the airplane climb out and turn. The ballistic recovery parachute (BRS) was activated while the airplane was at a low altitude. The accident site was located about 450 ft from the runway.

The pilot stated that the purpose of his flight was to commute to his place of employment in Auburn. A normal preflight check was completed and the flight departed from runway 16. As the airplane climbed about 200 ft above ground level (agl), the pilot could not maintain level flight and he had to apply full right aileron and right rudder. The airplane rolled left and he simultaneously reduced the engine power and applied forward elevator in an attempt to arrest the roll. Despite his attempts, the airplane continued to roll left with the nose about 180° from the runway heading. Unable to regain directional control, the pilot decided to deploy the BRS. With an airspeed of about 80 mile per hour (MPH) and a level nose-pitch, the pilot pulled the activation handle.

The pilot reported that after deploying the BRS, the left roll reduced to less than 5° of bank and he realized that he would not be able to return back to the runway. He concentrated his efforts on avoiding the trees and executed a forced landing in a field adjacent to the runway. He attempted to configure the airplane in a landing flare prior to touchdown by applying aft elevator. The airplane did not respond and touched down hard on the main landing gear, followed by the nose gear collapsing. As a result of the impact, the pilot's legs were injured and he was unable to egress under his own power. The engine continued to run and the BRS drifted into the propeller. The damage to the instrument panel made him unable to shut down the engine and it continued to operate until the BRS suspension lines stopped the propeller. 

Pilot Information

Certificate: Flight Instructor; Commercial
Age: 32, Male
Airplane Rating(s): Multi-engine Land; Single-engine Land
Seat Occupied: Front
Other Aircraft Rating(s): None
Restraint Used:
Instrument Rating(s): Airplane; Helicopter
Second Pilot Present: No
Instructor Rating(s):  Airplane Single-engine; Helicopter; Instrument Airplane; Instrument Helicopter
Toxicology Performed: No
Medical Certification: Class 2 Without Waivers/Limitations
Last FAA Medical Exam: 03/27/2017
Occupational Pilot: Yes
Last Flight Review or Equivalent: 04/04/2017
Flight Time:  1409 hours (Total, all aircraft), 24 hours (Total, this make and model), 1224 hours (Pilot In Command, all aircraft)

Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information

Aircraft Make: TITAN
Registration: N5131H
Model/Series: TORNADO I NO SERIES
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Year of Manufacture: 2006
Amateur Built: No
Airworthiness Certificate: Experimental
Serial Number: T95XXXCOHK0177
Landing Gear Type: Tricycle
Seats: 2
Date/Type of Last Inspection: 12/15/2016, Condition
Certified Max Gross Wt.: 850 lbs
Time Since Last Inspection: 24 Hours
Engines: 1 Reciprocating
Airframe Total Time: 224 Hours at time of accident
Engine Manufacturer: Rotax 501
ELT: Not installed
Engine Model/Series:
Registered Owner: On file
Rated Power: 52 hp
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None 

Meteorological Information and Flight Plan

Conditions at Accident Site: Visual Conditions
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KTCM, 323 ft msl
Distance from Accident Site: 4 Nautical Miles
Observation Time: 1658 UTC
Direction from Accident Site: 331°
Lowest Cloud Condition: Clear
Visibility:  10 Miles
Lowest Ceiling: Overcast / 7000 ft agl
Visibility (RVR):
Wind Speed/Gusts: 10 knots /
Turbulence Type Forecast/Actual:
Wind Direction: 190°
Turbulence Severity Forecast/Actual:
Altimeter Setting: 29.77 inches Hg
Temperature/Dew Point: 10°C / 8°C
Precipitation and Obscuration: No Obscuration; No Precipitation
Departure Point: Spanaway, WA (S44)
Type of Flight Plan Filed: None
Destination: Auburn, WA (S50)
Type of Clearance: None
Departure Time: 0935 PDT
Type of Airspace:

Airport Information

Airport: SPANAWAY (S44)
Runway Surface Type: N/A
Airport Elevation: 385 ft
Runway Surface Condition: Vegetation
Runway Used: N/A
IFR Approach: None
Runway Length/Width:
VFR Approach/Landing: Forced Landing 

Wreckage and Impact Information

Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 47.081667, -122.428333 (est)

The accident site was located on flat terrain about 435 ft east of the south end of the Spanaway Airport. The major sections of the airplane were all located within the immediate vicinity of the wreckage. The BRS, model number T2 300 (serial number T2B03690),was deployed with the parachute fabric draped on the terrain adjacent to the left wing. The fuel cap remained affixed to the intact fuel cell; the outside reference gauge indicated there was about 7.5-9 gallons of fuel on board.

The airplane was configured in a pusher-type style, with the engine mounted above and aft of the cockpit. The propeller remained attached to the engine with all three blades intact. Approximately 3-4 ft of the BRS suspension lines were tightly wrapped around the propeller prohibiting crankshaft rotation. The activation handle inside the cockpit appeared to be in the "deployed position." There was a placard in the cockpit that read "Aircraft engine must be shut off prior to deploying parachute. Failure to do so may result in death or serious injury." The canopy, suspension lines, and slider remained intact and no damage was noted.

Flight Controls

During the post-accident examination, control continuity for the rudder and elevator systems was established. An examination of the aileron system revealed that there was control continuity from the aileron control surfaces to the control tube in the cockpit. The upper attach point of the control tube (near wings) remained intact and the lower end (in cockpit) was found disconnected from the control mixer weldment. The stop-nut that normally is affixed to the bolt connecting the aileron control tube to the control yoke tube was found on the cabin floor about 5 inches from the ball joint (see picture 1). The bolt end had a hole for a cotter pin, but no cotter pin was located. There was no markings on the nylon insert of the stop nut consistent with it not being adequately tightened during the last maintenance.

The pilot reported that at the last condition inspection on 12/15/2016, the airframe and powerplant mechanic had adjusted the aileron control mixer. The airplane accumulated about 24 flight hours since the inspection.

NTSB Identification: WPR17LA087
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, April 13, 2017 in Spanaway, WA
Aircraft: TITAN TORNADO I, registration: N5131H
Injuries: 1 Serious.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.

On April 13, 2017, about 0945 Pacific daylight time, a Titan Tornado I, N5131H, experienced an in flight loss of control and impacted terrain during departure from the Spanaway Airport, Spanaway, Washington. The certified flight instructor (CFI), the sole pilot, was seriously injured, and the airplane sustained substantial damage. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The personal flight departed from Spanaway about 0940 with an intended destination of Auburn, Washington. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the flight.

Witnesses stated that they observed the airplane climb out and turn. The ballistic recovery parachute (BRS) was activated while the airplane was at a low altitude. The accident site was located about 450 feet from the runway surface.




The pilot of a homebuilt plane deployed the craft’s parachute just before crashing Thursday at the edge of Spanaway Airport.

The Titan Tornado I aircraft came to rest in a field a few feet from the runway, behind some houses on 192nd Street Court East. The plane seats one person and has a push propeller.

The male pilot was freed and taken to the hospital with “obvious facial and lower extremities” injuries, Central Pierce Fire & Rescue said.

The pilot’s injuries do not appear to be life-threatening, firefighters said.

The name of the pilot was not released. The plane is registered to a Spanaway man.

Eric Paez, an employee of Roy “Y” Auto Wrecking, located just west of the runway, said he sees the plane fly every day.

“We watch it take off just about every day,” he said.

On Thursday, the plane sounded as if it lost power seconds after taking off, Paez said. The craft immediately banked.

“Like he knew something was happening so he tried to come back,” Paez said.

The plane’s large orange-and-white striped parachute deployed with a loud sound when the craft was only a couple hundred feet off the ground.

“By the time he deployed his chute, he was already going down,” Paez said.

Paez jumped the fence of the wrecking yard and ran to the crash. He was first on the scene.

“As I’m running up to it I’m yelling, ‘Are you alive? Are you OK’?”

The plane was nose down, Paez said. The parachute was splayed behind the craft and still attached to the plane.

“It seemed like (the pilot) was coming out of unconsciousness,” Paez said. “He could barely talk.”

Because there was no fire, Paez didn’t try to free the pilot.

“His legs looked like they were buried in the ground,” he said.

Kodiak Wright, a nearby resident, said he heard the chute deploy followed by the sound of the crash, and within seconds, Pierce County sheriff’s deputies were arriving on scene.

Wright also was familiar with the plane.

“I see him every day,” Wright said. “He’s a really good flier.”

Story and video: http://www.thenewstribune.com









SPANAWAY, Wash. - The pilot of a small plane was injured when his aircraft crashed in a field near the Spanaway airport, emergency officials report.

Crews responded to the scene, near 192nd Street East and B Street, at about 10 a.m. after receiving reports that a light aircraft had crashed, said Central Pierce Fire & Rescue Assistant Chief Guy Overby.

The mangled wreckage of a small single-seater Titan Tornado I plane was found at the scene. The pilot was extricated and taken to the hospital for treatment of his injuries.

Emergency responders said the man, believed to be in his 30s, had suffered lacerations to the face and fractures to the lower extremities. He was conscious and alert when rescuers arrived on scene.

No one else was aboard the aircraft, Overby said.

He said the pilot did a good job of finding an open field with no trees away from houses to bring the plane down. A parachute reportedly deployed from the aircraft before impact, which may have prevented the pilot from suffering more serious injuries

The plane apparently crashed after taking off from a runway at the nearby Spanaway airport. The weather was calm and slightly overcast at the time.

An FAA representative arrived later and documented the scene for use in an investigation of the crash.

Story and video:  http://komonews.com

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