Featherston TITAN TORNADO N7020J

Summary

On 9 October 1993 at about 23:00 local time, a Featherston TITAN TORNADO registered N7020J was involved in an accident near Mechanicsville, Virginia, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 October 1993 at 23:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Mechanicsville, Virginia, United States

Coordinates

37.6195, -77.3500

Aircraft

Featherston TITAN TORNADO

Registration

N7020J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Dusk

NTSB number

NYC94LA008

1 person died.

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).

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.