American Air Racing Ltd THUNDER MUSTANG accident near Reno, NV
On May 2, 2018, an American Air Racing Ltd THUNDER MUSTANG (airplane) was involved in an accident near Reno, NV. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 2, 2018
- Place
- Reno, NV
- Aircraft
- American Air Racing Ltd THUNDER MUSTANG · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 39.661°N, 119.868°W
- NTSB ID
- 20180501X32346
Official records · WPR18FA131
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
HISTORY OF FLIGHTOn May 1, 2018, at 1931 Pacific daylight time, an experimental, amateur-built American Air Racing (AAR) Thunder Mustang (Blue Thunder II), N352BT, sustained substantial damage during a forced landing at Reno/Stead Airport (RTS), Reno, Nevada. The airline transport pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was registered to TM-1 Ltd. and operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) Part 91 personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local flight, which departed about 1815. The airplane was taking part in an in-flight photography mission with another Thunder Mustang, with the photographs being taken from a Beechcraft Bonanza. This was the second photography flight the group had flown that day. The first flight began about 1500 and lasted about 1 hour. About 1 hour into the accident flight, which included multiple north-south passes north of the airport, the group agreed that they were beginning to get fatigued and decided to end the mission and return to RTS. When the airplanes were about 5 miles from the airport, the accident pilot transmitted a "mayday" radio call over the common traffic advisory frequency. The pilot of the other Thunder Mustang asked for a confirmation, and the accident pilot responded again with a mayday call, adding that he intended to land on runway 14. The other pilot watched as the airplane began to descend toward the airport. He saw it overshoot the extended runway 14 centerline, then begin a wide 180° left turn followed by a right turn to rejoin the centerline. By this
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to properly secure the engine coolant pump pulley during recent maintenance, which resulted in a loss of the engine's lubrication, cooling, and propeller control systems, and a forced landing, during which the airplane nosed over. Contributing was the design of the accessory drive system, which allowed for multiple simultaneous failures of critical engine components. Contributi
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Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
