Titan TORNADO accident near Mitchells, Virginia, October 15, 2015
On October 15, 2015 at about 5:00 pm local time, a 2007 Titan TORNADO, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N4070F, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute (cruise) near Mitchells, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power due to fatigue cracking and separation of the No. 3 cylinder exhaust valve stem.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 15, 2015 · about 5:00 pm local time · cases in 2015
- Place
- Mitchells, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Titan TORNADO, built 2007, amateur-built
- Registration
- N4070F · registry record · serial 97503COHK0263
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after flying the airplane for about 40 minutes on a personal flight, the engine suddenly lost power and ran rough. The pilot could not maintain level flight and performed a forced landing to a road. After touchdown on a roadway, it turned to the left, and the airplane departed the pavement, struck a drainage ditch, and then struck a fence. The airplane’s wingtips, landing gear, and stabilator were substantially damaged. Examination of the engine revealed the No. 3 cylinder had incurred significant internal damage. Numerous metal fragments were present, the piston had broken up, and the exhaust valve head had separated from the stem. Further examination revealed multiple initiation fatigue cracking of the exhaust valve stem, which progressed until failure. Research indicated that fatigue cracking of exhaust valves in similar engines had occurred in the past. Investigations by multiple countries revealed that valve stem separation due to fatigue, in addition to stem cracking of other valves in engines that did ultimately separate, had occurred. This evidence also indicated that overheating of the valves was at least a factor in those engine failures.
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
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute (cruise) defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during emergency descent
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during landing (landing roll)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Failure other cases naming the engine
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Engine (reciprocating) › Recip eng cyl section › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the engine
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 565 hours in all; 368 in this make and model; 18 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 540 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 7, 2014
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 388 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, June 28, 2015
- Maximum gross weight: 950 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 2200A (piston); 119 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: HWY Warrenton VA at 4:35 pm
- Destination: HWY Warrenton VA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 4,500 ft
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 43°F (6°C)
- Altimeter: 30.09 inHg
- Observation at 4:55 pm from OMH, 6 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
12 documents, released by the NTSB on January 22, 2021. 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, 11 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Witness Statements and Interview Summaries | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Memorandums for Record | PDF, 3 pages | View Download |
| 4 | Weather Reports and Records - Komh Metars | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
| 5 | Photo Array | PDF, 18 pages | View Download |
| 6 | Materials Laboratory Factual Report | PDF, 17 pages | View Download |
| 7 | AAIB - Bulletin 5/2010 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 8 | ATSB - Transport Safety Report AR-2013-107 | PDF, 38 pages | View Download |
| 9 | Casa 65-16 | PDF, 6 pages | View Download |
| 10 | Casa 65-16 Explanatory Statement | PDF, 10 pages | View Download |
| 11 | Jabiru Aircraft Letter - Operational Limitations on Jabiru Aircraft | PDF, 8 pages | View Download |
| 12 | Release of Aircraft Wreckage, NTSB Form 6120.15 | PDF, 1 page | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Other NTSB records under N4070F the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N4070F on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Titan 12 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Jabiru 2200A 26 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Warrenton/Fauquier Airport · departed from
- Accidents and incidents in Virginia 1,361 since 1982 · 228 in the last ten years
- Virginia 5,972 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N4070F 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/ERA16LA016.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.