Amateur-built TITAN TORNADO accident near Mechanicsville, Virginia, November 29, 2017
On November 29, 2017 at about 8:30 pm local time, a 1999 amateur-built TITAN TORNADO, registered N50F, was substantially damaged in an accident during initial climb near Mechanicsville, Virginia (Woods Farm Airstrip airport). 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
The pilot’s inadequate preflight inspection and failure to detect water contamination in the fuel system, which resulted in a partial loss of engine power on takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 29, 2017 · about 8:30 pm local time
- Place
- Mechanicsville, Virginia · Woods Farm Airstrip · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TITAN TORNADO UNDESIGNAT, built 1999
- Registration
- N50F · no longer on the register · serial 175
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot/owner reported that the engine lost partial power after takeoff and that he then conducted a forced landing to a field. The airplane nosed over during the landing, which resulted in substantial damage to the fuselage and vertical stabilizer. The pilot reported that he subsequently disassembled and examined the airplane and that he found water in the fuel tank, which explained the partial loss of engine power. The pilot's failure to conduct an adequate preflight inspection and to detect water in the fuel system before takeoff led to the partial loss of engine power.
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
- Miscellaneous/other during prior to flight
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
- Fuel contamination during initial climb defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Inadequate inspection
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Inspection › Preflight inspection › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 615 hours in all; 160 in this make and model; 0 in the last 90 days; 0.1 in the last 30 days
- Last flight review: July 11, 2010
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 495 hours
- Last inspection: condition inspection, August 11, 2017; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Jabiru 2200 (piston); 495 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: VA50 Mechanicsville VA
- Destination: VA50 Mechanicsville VA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 14, 2,200 ft by 80 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 52°F (11°C), dew point 39°F (4°C)
- Altimeter: 30.21 inHg
- Observation at 10:54 pm from KOFP, 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
3 documents, released by the NTSB on February 8, 2019. 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, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | FAA Inspector - Memorandum for Record | PDF, 2 pages | View Download |
| 3 | Photo Array | PDF, 3 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.