On July 1, 2020, a Titan Tornado was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Marksville, Louisiana. The student pilot and passenger sustained serious injuries.
The airplane departed from a private airstrip near LeCompte, Louisiana, for a local flight. The student reported that the engine stopped producing power, adding he tried to restart it unsuccessfully. He had no further recollection of events.
A witness reported hearing the airplane having engine “trouble” before it hit a cornfield. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and both wings.
During initial examination of the wreckage, the fuel tank was empty and 1/4 cup of liquid consistent with 100LL was drained from the sump drain valve. The fuel was clear and bright. During subsequent examination, the inline fuel filter was found wet, but no fuel was found.
When air was blown into the fuel filter in the direction of flow, only mist came out. No fuel was found in the fuel filter bowl, but white residue was found in it. The bottom orifice of the filter bowl, which feeds the brass pick-up tube, was 50% blocked.
An engine representative reported that the pick-up tube picks up fuel downstream of the “butterfly” for startup and serves no purpose during normal operation. He reported that the pick-up tube appeared to be corroded due to water contamination and that the white and black discoloration in the float bowl was consistent with water being in the bowl. The brass pickup tube was also corroded.
Probable Cause: The student pilot’s failure to ensure sufficient fuel onboard, which resulted in a total loss of engine power due to fuel exhaustion, which resulted in impact with terrain.
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This July 2020 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
Single-place version would be an ultralight, and therefore no pilot’s license required. But wouldn’t a two-place version be either a homebuilt or light sport, in which case, how was a student pilot carrying a passenger?
A pilot license of any kind is not needed to fly. TO LEGALLY FLY a license is required. To carry a passenger a student is not legal.
A second seat means that the aircraft does not meet Part 103, and therefore requires a pilot license among other things.