Titan Aircraft TORNADO accident near Springfield, Tennessee, March 7, 2000
On March 7, 2000 at about 9:00 pm local time, a Titan Aircraft TORNADO, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered NONE, was destroyed in an accident near Springfield, Tennessee. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons, and the unqualified person attempted to fly the airplane.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 7, 2000 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Springfield, Tennessee · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Titan Aircraft TORNADO, amateur-built
- Registration
- NONE · no longer on the register · serial T95-503
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The owner departed a private airstrip for his first flight in the Titan Tornado. Shortly after takeoff, the engine lost power and the owner said that the airplane did not fly well. He further stated that, the engine RPM fluctuated followed by a complete loss of engine power. The owner also noted that the exhaust gas temperature (EGT) was in the over-temp range prior to the total loss of engine power. The owner selected a nearby field for an emergency landing. The airplane collided with trees on a wooded hill as the owner maneuvered for the forced landing. The airplane was consumed by a post-crash fire. The engine assembly also sustained extensive fire damage and prevented a functional examination of the assembly and the installed sub-components. Efforts to rotate the engine assembly also failed. The airplane was never certificated or registered with the Federal Aviation Administration. A review of FAA pilot certification records failed to reveal airmen certifications or pilot rating information for the owner of the unregistered experimental airplane involved in the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Hirsh 2704 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: NONE TN at 8:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 230° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 25,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 79°F (26°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from BNA, 30 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under NONE the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.