# Accident 19970824023349A: Amtr P51MUSTANGX, Fort Pierce, FL, August 24, 1997

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 24, 1997, 11:26 local time
- Place: Fort Pierce, FL
- Airport: St Lucie County International
- Damage: Destroyed
- Phase of flight: Forced/Precautionary Landing
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 27.5073° N, 80.3846° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs from the FAA’s distance and direction from , within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=27.5073&lon=-80.3846&mi=10
- Aircraft: N151MS, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N151MS-2001-10-26) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Skinner Marvin D P-51D MUSTANG (registry code 1690463, https://openairdocs.org/model/skinner-marvin-d-p-51d-mustang) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-540 series (registry code 41530, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-540-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AMTR P51MUSTANGX
- Reported engine: LYC IO540*
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 1
- Pilot flight hours: 1,020 total, 440 in this make and model, 22 in the last 90 days
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB ATL97LA123](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL97LA123) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/19970824023349A

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ENGINE QUIT ON CLIMBOUT. STALLED AND SPIRAL INTO GROUND. NO CAUSE FOR POWER LOSS FOUND. (.19) ON AUGUST 24, 1997, ABOUT 1126 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A JURKA P51D MUSTANG, N151MS, COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND SHORTLY AFTER TAKEOFF AT THE FORT PIERCE- ST. LUCIE COUNTY AIRPORT, FORT PIERCE, FLORIDA. THE AIRPLANE WAS OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF TITLE 14 CFR PART 91, AND VISUAL FLIGHT RULES.  VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS EXISTED, AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THE LOCAL, PERSONAL FLIGHT.  THE COMMERCIAL PILOT, THE SOLE OCCUPANT, SUSTAINED FATAL INJURIES, AND THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED. A WITNESS STATED THAT THE AIRPLANE TOOK OFF FROM RUNWAY 32 AND CLIMBED TO ABOUT 500 FEET ABOVE GROUND LEVEL (AGL) AND THEN THE ENGINE STOPPED.  HE SAID THE AIRPLANE BANKED LEFT IN A NOSE-HIGH ATTITUDE, AND THEN NOSED OVER, SPIRALING HALF A TURN INTO THE GROUND. (.4) ACCORDING TO A WITNESS, THE AIRPLANE TOOK OFF FROM RUNWAY 32 AND CLIMBED TO ABOUT 500 FT ABOVE THE GROUND, THEN THE ENGINE LOST POWER. WITNESSES REPORTED THAT THE AIRPLANE BANKED LEFT IN A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE, THEN IT NOSED OVER AND SPIRALED OR PLUMMETED TO THE GROUND. THE ENGINE WAS EXAMINED AFTER THE ACCIDENT. AFTER REMOVI NG THE SPINNER, PROPELLER, VACUUM PUMP, AND FUEL PUMP, ALL WHICH WERE IMPACT DAMAGED, THE ENGINE ROTATED FREELY. SUCTION AND THUMB COMPRESSION WERE CONFIRMED FOR ALL CYLINDERS. (-23) ON AUGUST 24, 1997, AT THE FORT PIERCE/ST. LUCIE COUNTY INTL AIRPORT (FPR) AT APPROXIMATELY 1126 EASTERN DAYLIGHT TIME, A P51D MUSTANG, N151MS, DEPARTED ON RUNWAY 32 ON A VISUAL LOCAL FLIGHT. A WITNESS REPORTED WATCHING THE AIRCRAFT CLIMB TO 400 TO 500 FEET. HE HEARD THE ENGINE SOUND DIMINISH OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT PITCH NOSE UP, THE LEFT WING DROP AND THEN THE AIRCRAFT ROTATED TO THE LEFT ONE-HALF TURN IN A VERTICAL NOSE DOWN ATTITUDE STRIKING THE GRASS AREA BETWEEN RUNWAY 32 AND 27. THE AIRPLANE WAS DESTROYED AND THE PILOT SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES.

## The NTSB's investigation of this event (1)

From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

- [NTSB ATL97LA123](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ATL97LA123), Aug 24, 1997: Jurka P51D Mustang (N151MS), Fort Pierce, FL, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: loss of engine power for undetermined reason(s); and failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while starting to maneuver for an emergency landing, which resulted in loss of aircraft…

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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