On July 6, 2020, about 0755 central daylight time, a Titan Tornado II airplane, N900WH, was substantially damaged when it was involved in an accident near Mankato, Kansas. The non-certificated pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.

According to a witness at the airport, about 0750, he saw the pilot taxi the airplane to runway 17. Shortly after, the airplane took off. The witness heard the engine’s noise change and it sounded like the engine stopped running. He went outside his hangar to look at the airplane and saw it as it descended behind trees. The airplane impacted the terrain along a tree line that bordered the east side of the runway. When he responded to the accident site, the witness was told by the pilot that the engine started shaking “real bad” just before it quit. The pilot thought that the propeller had broken. According to the witness, the propeller was intact except for a portion that was damaged when the airplane flipped over; he found pieces of the propeller near the wreckage site. The fuselage and both wings sustained substantial damage.

A Federal Aviation Administration inspector responded to the accident site and collected additional information. The airplane had come to rest inverted and was leaking fuel, so it was turned upright. A visual inspection did not detect any anomalies. The airplane was moved to the pilot’s hangar.

The pilot was reported to be a student training for his sport pilot certificate.

Over several weeks following the accident, numerous attempts were made to coordinate an engine examination. The FAA inspector contacted a local Airframe and Powerplants mechanic who was willing to do the work and had performed the previous condition inspection on the airplane. However, due to the mechanic’s limited availability and the need for FAA oversight because the mechanic had done the condition inspection, the examination was not completed. Further attempts to coordinate an engine examination with the mechanic were unsuccessful; hence, an engine examination was not accomplished.