Stall / Spin · NTSB WPR19FA159
Titan TITAN II — Summerville, OR
| Date | June 5, 2019 |
| Location | Summerville, OR |
| Aircraft | Titan TITAN II (amateur-built) |
| Purpose of flight | Personal |
| Conditions | Day · Visual Meteorological Cond |
| Phase / occurrence | Maneuvering-low-alt flying Aerodynamic stall/spin |
| Pilot age | 29 |
| Pilot total time | Unknown |
| Time in type | Unknown |
| Fatalities | 1 |
Probable cause
NTSB findings
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Angle of attack-Not attained/maintained
- Personnel issues-Task performance-Use of equip/info-Aircraft control-Pilot
- Aircraft-Aircraft oper/perf/capability-Performance/control parameters-Altitude-Not specified
What happened
The non-certificated pilot was seen by witnesses flying at low altitude, which they described as near treetop and powerline level. One witness reported that the airplane entered a “straight up” climb about 300 ft, then dove to the ground and leveled the airplane about 50 ft above ground; the pilot did this three times before the accident occurred during the fourth maneuver. Another witness reported that, during the last maneuver, at the top of the climb, the airplane aerodynamically stalled, spun to the left, and impacted the ground.
Postaccident examination of the airframe and engine revealed no mechanical anomalies that would have precluded normal operation. Given the available evidence, it is likely that the pilot exceeded the airplane’s critical angle of attack, and the airplane entered an aerodynamic stall and spin.