North American/Aero Classics P 51D accident near Durango, CO
On July 4, 2014, a North American/Aero Classics P 51D (airplane) was involved in an accident near Durango, CO. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- July 4, 2014
- Place
- Durango, CO
- Aircraft
- North American/Aero Classics P 51D · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 37.166°N, 107.745°W
- NTSB ID
- 20140704X61908
Official records · CEN14FA339
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn July 4, 2014 at 0927 mountain daylight time, a North American P-51 Mustang airplane, N1451D, impacted terrain near the Durango-La Plata County Airport (DRO), Durango, Colorado, shortly after takeoff. The airplane was owned and operated by Bridgewood Holdings, LLC, Durango, Colorado. The airplane was substantially damaged. The flight instructor, who occupied the rear seat, and the pilot, who occupied the front seat, were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed for the instructional flight, which was being operated in accordance with 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. In statements provided to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Investigator-in-Charge (IIC) by local law enforcement, and written statements provided to the IIC, witnesses reported the airplane departed runway 3 and entered a hard left bank to approximately 90 degrees. The nose pitched up slightly and continued to bank past 90 degrees to an inverted position, and then the nose pitched down to approximately a 45 degree angle. The witnesses stated they lost sight of the airplane when their view was blocked by a hangar, unable to see the ground impact. Additionally, witnesses reported that the pilot usually "dipped the left wing" of the airplane to wave as he flew over. PERSONNEL INFORMATIONFlight Instructor The flight instructor, age 53, held an airline transport pilot certificate with an airplane single and multi-engine, and glider airplane ratings. He also held a flight instructor certificate for airplane single and multi-engine land, glider and instrument
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to compensate for the high-performance airplane's tendency to enter a torque roll during the initial climb, which resulted in the airplane entering a torque roll and the subsequent loss of control at too low of an altitude to recover. Contributing to the pilot's failure to compensate for the airplane's tendency to enter a torque roll was his impairment from tetrahydrocannabinol
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Browse: Colorado
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
