NTSB Factual Report

HISTORY OF FLIGHT

On December 3, 2017, at 1140 eastern standard time, an experimental, amateur-built Titan Tornado II D, N2200T, impacted terrain while on final approach for landing at Portage County Airport (POV), Ravenna, Ohio. The sport pilot sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed by impact forces. The airplane was owned by the pilot who was operating it as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident and no flight plan was filed for the flight, which departed from POV about 1110.

The only witness to the accident stated that the pilot stopped by the witness's hangar before the accident flight and said that it was a beautiful day to go flying. The witness saw the airplane take off from runway 27 and described the takeoff as "Learjet style," meaning that the airplane had a high rate of climb. The airplane proceeded south until it disappeared from his view. The witness subsequently saw the accident airplane on final approach for runway 27 about 30 minutes later. While on final approach, the airplane was "coming down normally and regularly" before he heard the engine noise "suddenly stop" and the engine went "silent." About 10 seconds later and about 1 mile from the approach end of runway 27, the airplane started "acting erratically." The airplane banked right, then banked immediately left, and then banked right before descending from about 500 ft above ground level into the ground. The witness stated that the airplane "didn't go straight down," but it was a "steep" descent.

PERSONNEL INFORMATION

The pilot held a sport pilot certificate. He also held repairman-experimental aircraft builder and repairman-light sport aircraft certificates. The pilot's logbook was not available for review. The pilot did not hold an FAA airman medical certificate, nor was he required to as a sport pilot.

Aircraft registration records showed that the pilot purchased the airplane on September 10, 2016.The witness estimated that the pilot had accumulated about 10 hours in the airplane since purchasing it.

AIRCRAFT INFORMATION

WRECKAGE AND IMPACT INFORMATION

The wreckage was located behind a house about 0.8 mile east of runway 27. The area surrounding the wreckage displayed ground scarring consistent with the dimensions of the airplane. The airplane was oriented in a nose-down attitude. The wings, elevators, and rudder and their respective controls surfaces were attached and secure. The propeller was attached and secure to the engine, which remained attached to the airframe. Neither of the two propeller blades displayed damage. There was no evidence of fire or sooting. The instrument panel was destroyed by impact forces.

Flight control continuity was established from the flight control surfaces to the cockpit controls. Engine control continuity from the cockpit controls to the engine was confirmed.

The 15-gallon fuel tank contained an estimated 1 gallon of liquid consistent with fuel. The fuel did not exhibit contamination. The fuel valves from the fuel tank to the engine were in the open position.

The airplane was equipped with an Adventure Pilot iFly 720 multi-function display and GPS unit with removable SD card; a MGL RDAC XB module that was designed to interface thermocouples and other engine monitoring sensors, which was connected to an Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS); and a MGL XL (non-Stratomaster model) EFIS. These units were sent to the National Transportation Safety Board Recorders Laboratory for download of non-volatile memory. The last data log retrieved from the Adventure Pilot iFly 720 had a timestamp from October 21, 2017, about 2.5 months before the accident flight. The MGL RDAC XB and MGL XL units did not record data.

The engine, a Jabiru model 2200 (serial number 22A3748), was removed and shipped to Arion Aircraft, Shelbyville, Tennessee, for an engine run under the supervision of an FAA inspector. The inspector stated that the engine started and ran smoothly for about 5 to 10 minutes before the test was discontinued.

MEDICAL AND PATHOLOGICAL INFORMATION

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner's Office, Cleveland, Ohio, performed an autopsy of the pilot. The medical examiner reported the cause of death as blunt impact injuries.

Toxicology testing performed by the FAA Forensic Sciences Laboratory identified Losartan in liver. Testing was negative for ethanol and carbon monoxide.

Losartan is a prescription medication used primarily for the treatment of high blood pressure. It may be used alone or in combination with other antihypertensive agents. It is not considered to be impairing.

TESTS AND RESEARCH

Advisory Circular (AC) 90-109A, Transition to Unfamiliar Aircraft, discusses training and risk mitigation in flying various families of airplanes.

According to a table found in Appendix 2 of the AC, the Titan Tornado II was categorized as a low-inertia and/or high-drag airplane. Appendix 4 of the AC defined low-inertia and/or high-drag airplanes as airplanes that rapidly lose energy (airspeed and/or altitude) when there is a loss or reduction of power.

In addition, Appendix 4 d. Other Hazards, states,

Hazards of low-inertia/high-drag airplanes are not limited to power management issues. While all airplanes experience an increase in stall speed with an increase in load factor, such as during turns, these airplanes may also experience significant airspeed decay with increased load factor. This, coupled with low cruise speed to stall speed margin, make these airplanes particularly susceptible to unintentional stalls.