- Date
- July 15, 1984, 09:43 local (15:43 UTC)
- Place
- Carbondale, CO
- Injuries
- 2 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N5449VNorth American P-51D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19840715032279A
- Case key
- 16229
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The plt was performing aerobatic maneuvers in a P-51D that had been modified for racing & exhibition. Witnesses near the accident site stated that the acft had just completed several aerobatic maneuvers before it began a vertical climb. The climb was terminated at about 3000 ft, then the acft went into a nose down spin. The acft continued to spin until ground impact. The plt handbook states that power off spins are permitted when started above 12,000 ft, but power on spins & snap rolls are prohibited. Stalls are comparatively mild & the acft has very little tendency to drop into a spin. During recovery from power off spins, the acft normally stops spinning in 1 to 1-1/4 turns after recovery controls are applied. Power on spins require as many as 5 to 6 turns & 9000 to 10,000 ft to recover.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N5449V
- Reported as
- North American P-51D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 44-73196N
- Engine
- Packard V-1650-7, 1,490 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Earl Ketchen
- Registered owner
- Donald C. Davis
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Special, Special flight (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · June 4, 1984 · 0 hours before
- Departed
- ASE · Aspen, CO
- Airport
- Unknown
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 39
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Single-engine sea, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 8,251 total · 197 in this make and model · 6,607 as pilot in command · 157 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 360° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 68 °F, dew point 50 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- ASE, 21 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.