Titan TITAN TORNADO S accident near Haskell, Oklahoma, May 9, 2020
On May 9, 2020 at about 11:45 am local time, a 2015 Titan TITAN TORNADO S, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N318WH, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (climb to cruise) near Haskell, Oklahoma (Haskell airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The student pilot/builder’s addition of winglets to the stabilator, which resulted in flutter and overstress failure of the stabilator control horn.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 9, 2020 · about 11:45 am local time
- Place
- Haskell, Oklahoma · Haskell · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Titan TITAN TORNADO S Undesignat, built 2015, amateur-built
- Registration
- N318WH · no longer on the register · serial S12XXXC0HK0546
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The student pilot departed on a flight in a kit-built airplane to test the winglets he had recently installed on the airplane’s stabilator, which were intended to eliminate the airplane’s uncommanded yaw. The flight was the airplane's first winglet test flight away from the airport traffic pattern and at a higher altitude. The student stated that during the flight, he decreased the pitch attitude to level off at 2,000 ft above ground level and the airplane suddenly vibrated aggressively and it "felt like the tail was thumping." He decreased the engine power, but the thumping and vibrating continued, so the pilot pitched the airplane down for an off-field emergency landing. Before he was able to land, the airplane rolled inverted and descended into the trees, resulting in the separation of the right wing. Postaccident examination revealed that the stabilator control horn had fractured due to overstress and separated from the push-pull tube. According to an airplane kit manufacturer engineer, winglets added to the stabilator produce flutter. Based on the evidence, it is likely that the winglets led the stabilator to flutter, which overstressed the stabilator control horn and resulted in the control horn’s failure.
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
What happened, in order
- Flight control sys malf/fail during enroute (climb to cruise) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Horizontal stabilizer › Capability exceeded
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Horiz stab misc structure › Design
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Maintenance › Modification/alteration › Student/instructed pilot
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Attain/maintain not possible
- Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Student/instructed pilot
Pilot
- Certificate: student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 162.3 hours in all; 33 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: serious injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 26, 2020; 230 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,140 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912 ULS (piston); 230 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 2K9 Haskell OK at 11:30 am
- Destination: 2K9 Haskell OK
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: dawn
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 43°F (6°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.29 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 am from KMKO, 19 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
7 documents, released by the NTSB on July 1, 2020. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Correspondence - FAA Inspector | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 3 | Correspondence - Student Pilot | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Correspondence - Titan Aircraft Engineer | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Correspondence - NTSB Materials Lab | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 6 | Photos | PDF, 5 pages | View Download |
| 7 | Maintenance Records | PDF, 12 pages | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
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.