Muse P51D accident near Mesquite, TX
On March 29, 2020, a Muse P51D (airplane) was involved in an accident near Mesquite, TX. 1 person died. Damage to the aircraft: destroyed.
- Date
- March 29, 2020
- Place
- Mesquite, TX
- Aircraft
- Muse P51D · Airplane
- Injuries
- 1 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Position
- 32.762°N, 96.516°W
- NTSB ID
- 20200329X81624
Official records · CEN20LA134
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
On March 29, 2020, at 1518 central daylight time, a Muse P51D airplane, N151JD, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Mesquite, Texas. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight. Witnesses reported that the pilot took off and turned to a right crosswind in the traffic pattern, followed shortly thereafter by a turn to downwind. The airplane then entered a gradually steepening right turn before transitioning to a steep nose down attitude which continued until impact with terrain. A review of Automated Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the airplane entered a right traffic pattern after takeoff and leveled off about 1,800 ft mean sea level (msl) on crosswind before beginning a turn to downwind. About 1518:47, the airplane entered a descending right turn from about 1,700 ft msl. The final data point was recorded at 1518:53; the altitude was about 900 ft msl. The average descent rate over the last 6 seconds of data was approximately 8,000 ft per minute. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. However, the examination was limited by the extent of the impact and postimpact fire damage. Toxicology testing performed at the Federal Aviation Administration Forensic Sciences Laboratory found no drugs of abuse. The owner/builder reported the accident occurred during the third flight of the airplane. The plan was for the pilot to conduct airwork in the local area and to ga
Probable cause
The pilot’s inadvertent exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack for undetermined reasons, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, loss of control, and subsequent impact with terrain.
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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.
