North American P-51D N51U
12 September 1994 · Reno, Nevada, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 12 September 1994 at about 20:17 local time, a North American P-51D registered N51U was involved in an accident near Reno, Nevada, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 20:17
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Reno, Nevada, United States
- Nearest airport
- Reno/Stead (4SD)
- Coordinates
- 39.7108, -119.8191
- Aircraft
- North American P-51D
- Registration
- N51U
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Not recorded
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Unknown
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX94LA361
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during an attempted forced landing. Factors in the accident were the failure of a propeller blade-feathering oil seal which leaked oil on the windshield, obscuring the pilot's vision.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH LEVEL TERRAIN WHILE ATTEMPTING AN EMERGENCY LANDING DURING AIR RACING TRIALS. THE PILOT HAD PULLED UP OFF THE RACE COURSE AND TRANSMITTED A 'MAYDAY' DISTRESS CALL. HE INDICATED THE AIRPLANE'S WINDSCREEN WAS COVERED WITH OIL, RESTRICTING HIS VISION. THE PILOT WAS NOT ALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A '20-25 DEGREE' NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED A PROPELLER BLADE-FEATHERING OIL SEAL IN THE PROPELLER HUB WAS DISLODGED, ALLOWING PRESSURIZED OIL TO LEAK AND FOUL THE WINDSHIELD.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other North American P-51D accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Apr 1994 | North American P-51D | Chino, California, United States | Michael Clarke | Minor injuries | - |
| 12 Feb 1996 | North American P-51D | Palm City, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 29 Sep 1990 | North American P-51D | Chatham, Massachusetts, United States | Enhorning, George F. | Fatal | 2 |
| 23 Jun 1990 | North American P-51D | Abilene, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 18 Jul 1990 | North American P-51D | Mayer, Minnesota, United States | Pond, Robert | Fatal | 2 |
| 26 Apr 1989 | North American P-51D | Travis Afb, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 18 Sep 1994 | North American SNJ-5 | Reno, Nevada, United States | Same AS Registered Owner | Fatal | 1 |
| 24 Sep 1994 | Cessna 182Q | Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | Stanley A. Lawless | Fatal | 1 |
| 5 May 1994 | Bell 206B | Overton, Nevada, United States | US Army Corps of Engineers | Unknown | - |
| 26 Jun 1994 | Bell 206-B3 | Indian Springs, Nevada, United States | United States Air Force | Unknown | - |
| 1 Nov 1994 | Cessna 421A | Sparks, Nevada, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 3 Dec 1994 | Siai-Marchetti SF260C | North Las Vegas, Nevada, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |