# Accident 20141214023619A: Titan TORNADO II, Catlett, VA, December 14, 2014

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: December 14, 2014, 12:47 local time
- Place: Catlett, VA
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 38.6167° N, 77.6258° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=38.6167&lon=-77.6258&mi=10
- Aircraft: N50402, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N50402-2017-02-07) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Titan TORNADO II (registry code 05901LL, https://openairdocs.org/model/titan-tornado-ii) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Jabiru 2200 (registry code 34800, https://openairdocs.org/engine/jabiru-2200) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: TITAN TORNADO II
- Reported engine: JABIRU 2200A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Sport pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 152 total, 2 in this make and model, 4 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ERA15FA076](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15FA076) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20141214023619A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON DECEMBER 14, 2014 AT  APPROXIMATELY 1230PM, N50402, OWNED AND PILOTED BY MR. BENJAMIN HUMMEL, DEPARTED RUNWAY 15 AT WARRENTON-FAUQUIER AIRPORT (HWY), CIRCLED TO THE WEST AND THEN PROCEEDED TO THE EAST.  HE WAS AIRBORNE FOR APPROXIMATELY 12 MINUTES BEFORE  CRASHING INTO A WOODED AREA NEAR CATLETT, VA.  THE PILOT WAS  KILLED AND THE  AIRCRAFT DESTROYED.   MR. HUMMEL  WAS NOT CERTIFICATED TO FLY THE TITAN TORNADO II  AIRCRAFT AND WITH HIS SPORT PILOT RATING, HAD A  LIMITATION TO FLY  ERCOUPE 415 SERIES WITHOUT RUDDER PEDALS.

AN EYEWITNESS NEAR THE CRASH SITE STATED THAT WHILE HE WAS WORKING IN HIS YARD, HE HEARD A SMALL AIRCRAFT ENGINE MAKING GOOD POWER, THEN STARTED SPUTTERING.  WHEN HE MADE VISUAL CONTACT WITH THE AIRCRAFT IN THE SKY, HE OBSERVED THAT IT WAS IN A DOWNWARD SPIRAL MANUEVER  AND THEN THE ENGINE QUIT.  AT THAT POINT THE AIRCRAFT NOSE DIVED INTO A WOODED AREA FROM AN ESTIMATED HEIGHT OF 100 FEET.

AIRCRAFT WAS DISCOVERED IN THE WOODS INTACT WITHOUT ANY FIRE.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ERA15FA076](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA15FA076), Dec 14, 2014: Titan Tornado II (N50402), Catlett, VA, substantial damage, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed while maneuvering at a low altitude, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its critical angle-of-attack and experiencing an aerodynamic stall.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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