Airframe Parachute Deployed Prior To Impact With Terrain

The pilot of a Titan Tornado received serious injuries last Thursday when the plane went down at the edge of the Spanaway, WA airport.

The Olympian newspaper reports that the pilot, who has not been identified by authorities, received injuries to his face and legs. He was transported to a nearby hospital. The plane was registered Daniel J. Dolan of Spanaway. It was not reported if he was flying the plane when it went down. Them most recent airworthiness certificate for the airplane was issued on January 11, 2017 according to FAA records.

Witnesses said that the plane flies nearly every day. On Thursday, Eric Paez, an employee of an auto-wrecking business located near the airport, said that it sounded like the plane lost power just after takeoff. The airplane appeared to be attempting to return to the runway, according to Paez. When the plane was about 200 feet off the ground, the pilot deployed the airframe parachute.

Paez was the first person to arrive on the scene. He said there was no fire, so he did not try to get the pilot out of the aircraft. It was in a nose-down attitude and the pilot's legs "looked like they were buried in the ground," he said.

According to the Titan Aircraft website, the Titan Tornado I is a kitplane that qualifies as an LSA as defined by the FAA.

(Image courtesy Central Pierce Fire & Rescue)

FMI: www.titanaircraft.com/tornado_i.php