North American/Aero Classics P-51D accident near Urbana, IN
On February 20, 2003, a North American/Aero Classics P-51D (airplane) was involved in an accident near Urbana, IN. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- February 20, 2003
- Place
- Urbana, IN
- Aircraft
- North American/Aero Classics P-51D · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 40.892°N, 85.667°W
- NTSB ID
- 20030221X00251
Official records · CHI03LA074
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On February 20, 2003, at 1705 eastern standard time, a North American/Aero Classics P-51D, N93TF, was destroyed on impact with terrain while maneuvering near Urbana, Indiana. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot was fatally injured. The local flight originated from Huntington Municipal Airport, Huntington, Indiana, at 1655. A witness reported that he was working on a his barn when he heard an airplane, which he watched for 2-3 minutes, doing aerobatic maneuvers. The airplane stalled, lost power, went into a spin, and did not recover. A second witness reported that he had been watching the airplane for about an hour doing "stunt[s]" when it stalled at the top of a maneuver. The airplane then descended nose first and began to spin. It descended to about 300 feet at which point the spin slowed down to "almost [a] somersault." He did not see the last 75 feet due to his position. A third witness reported that he was on the roof of his house located two miles north. He estimated the altitude of the airplane to be 1,500 feet. He did not see the landing gear extended. The airplane was in a nose down attitude, spinning clockwise. He thought that he heard the engine "come back in" just as he lost sight of the airplane. The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land rating and an airline transport pilot certificate with multiengine land rating and a CE-500 type rating. He received a Letter of Authorization in the North American P-51 mustang on Febru
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control which resulted in a spin.
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Browse: Indiana
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
