20251210018839I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Robert A Sutherland TITAN T-51 MUSTANG · Tuscon, AZ · December 10, 2025

Date
December 10, 2025 · 09:50 local
Place
Tuscon, AZ
Airport
Ryan Field
Phase of flight
Landing: Touchdown
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N951TX
Reported as
Robert A Sutherland Titan T-51 Mustang
Reported engine
SUZUKI H27A
People aboard
1
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Commercial pilot
Pilot’s flight hours
899 total1 in this make and model1 in the last 90 days

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry 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.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

During the second flight of an experimental aircraft after certification, the landing gear struts fully compressed upon touchdown while landing in a level attitude. The pilot did not apply aft input in the controls, causing the aircraft to lean forward and resulting in the propeller contacting the landing strip skidding to a stop.

As the FAA filed it

DURING THE SECOND FLIGHT OF AN EXPERIMENTAL AIRCRAFT AFTER CERTIFICATION, THE LANDING GEAR STRUTS FULLY COMPRESSED UPON TOUCHDOWN WHILE LANDING IN A LEVEL ATTITUDE. THE PILOT DID NOT APPLY AFT INPUT IN THE CONTROLS, CAUSING THE AIRCRAFT TO LEAN FORWARD AND RESULTING IN THE PROPELLER CONTACTING THE LANDING STRIP SKIDDING TO A STOP.