# Accident 20170716023999A: North American/Aero Classics P-51D, Cummings, KS, July 16, 2017

- Type: FAA accident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 16, 2017, 10:30 local time
- Place: Cummings, KS
- Airport: Amelia Earhart
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 39.4822° N, 95.2044° W: From the FAA
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=39.4822&lon=-95.2044&mi=10
- Aircraft: N251PW, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N251PW-2020-09-25) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: North American/Aero Classics P-51D (registry code 6402304, https://openairdocs.org/model/north-american-aero-classics-p-51d) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Rolls-Royce V-1650-7 (registry code 54558, https://openairdocs.org/engine/rolls-royce-v-1650-7) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: NORTH AMERICAN/AERO CLASSICS P-51D
- Reported engine: ROLLS-ROYC V-1650-7
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 2
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 10,500 total
- NTSB investigation: [NTSB CEN17FA270](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17FA270) (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20170716023999A

## Narrative

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

FOLLOWING DEPARTURE FROM THE AIRPORT, BASIC RADAR DATA INDICATES NUMEROUS CHANGES IN ALTITUDE AND DIRECTION CONSISTENT WITH INTENTIONAL AIRCRAFT MANEUVERS. THESE RADAR INDICATIONS ALSO INDICATE THAT THE AIRCRAFT OVERFLEW THE AIRPORT SEVERAL TIMES, THEN TRAVELED TO THE NORTH WEST BEFORE CONTINUING ITS TRACK TO THE SOUTHWEST OF THE AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT CHANGED DIRECTIONS NUMEROUS TIMES DURING THE TRACK AND THEN STAYED CONSISTENT IN A SOUTHEAST DIRECTION FOR THE LAST FEW MOMENTS OF THE TRACKING DATA. AN EYEWITNESS REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT OVERFLEW THE VICINITY OF THEIR HOME AT AN APPROXIMATE HEIGHT OF 20 TO 30 FEET ABOVE NEARBY POWER LINES, THEN PITCHED UP AND INITIATED A LEFT TURN. THE AIRCRAFT THEN IMPACTED THE GROUND WITH THE FLIGHT PATH IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION (BACK TO THE NORTHWEST) AS OBSERVED FROM THE GROUND IMPACT INDICATIONS. THE ON-SITE INVESTIGATION OF THE AIRCRAFT DID NOT REVEAL ANY AIRCRAFT OR SYSTEM ANOMALY THAT WOULD HAVE CONTRIBUTED TO THIS ACCIDENT. THE AIRCRAFT SUSTAINED SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE IN THE ACCIDENT. THE AIRMAN AND PASSENGER BOTH SUSTAINED 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 CEN17FA270](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17FA270), Jul 16, 2017: North American/Aero Classics P 51 (N251PW), Cummings, KS, destroyed, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The loss of airplane control while maneuvering at low altitude for reasons that could not be determined.

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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