Amateur-built TITAN TORNADO accident near Mechanicsville, Virginia, October 9, 1993
On October 9, 1993 at about 11:00 pm local time, a amateur-built TITAN TORNADO, registered N7020J, was destroyed in an accident near Mechanicsville, Virginia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE PILOT TO CORRECT THE DESCENT. FACTORS RELATED TO THE ACCIDENT WERE: THE LIGHT CONDITIONS AT DUSK, IMPAIRMENT OF THE PILOT FROM USE OF A MEDICATION (PRESCRIPTION DRUG), AND POSSIBLE LACK OF VISUAL QUES (PILOT'S VISUAL PERCEPTION).
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 9, 1993 · about 11:00 pm local time
- Place
- Mechanicsville, Virginia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built TITAN TORNADO TITAN TORN
- Registration
- N7020J · no longer on the register · serial TT-004
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
PRIOR TO THE END OF CIVIL TWILIGHT, A WITNESS SAW THE AIRPLANE 'MAKE TWO OR THREE FLOATING PERFECT TURNS THAT APPEARED DELIBERATE BUT A BIT FASTER THAN NORMAL.' HE SAID HE LOST SIGHT OF THE AIRCRAFT BELOW THE TREELINE, BUT DID NOT NOTICE ANYTHING TO INDICATE THAT SOMETHING WAS WRONG. REPORTEDLY, THE ENGINE WAS RUNNING, & THE AIRPLANE IMPACTED IN AN OPEN FIELD, WHILE DESCENDING. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION OF THE AIRCRAFT WAS FOUND DURING THE INVESTIGATION. TOXICOLOGY TESTS REVEALED THE SEDATIVE TEMAZEPAM (0.213 UG/ML) IN THE PILOT'S BLOOD & OXAZEPAM (1.425 UG/ML) IN HIS URINE.
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
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: rotorcraft: glider
- Flight time: 432 hours in all
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: dusk
- Wind: from 170° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 7 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 61°F (16°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:00 pm from RIC, 13 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.
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.