- Date
- March 18, 1989, 17:45 local (Mar 19, 1989, 00:45 UTC)
- Place
- Erie, CO
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Initial climb
- Aircraft
- N51RMMiller S.A.L. 2/3 Mustang
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report April 24, 1990
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19890318004029A
- Case key
- 17683
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
Loss of engine power for an unknown reason. Soft uneven terrain was a contributing factor.
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 on a local flt in his homebuilt 2/3 scale P-51 mustang. During the initial climb from rwy 33, the eng sputtered & quit. The plt said he switched fuel tanks & tried a restart, but to no avail. The plane was landed in a plowed field with the gear extended. At touchdown, the left wing struck the terrain, the plane cartwheeled & both wings folded over the canopy. A post accident eng inspn by the owner & the builder failed to reveal any evidence to explain the rprtd eng failure.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N51RM
- Reported as
- Miller S.A.L. 2/3 Mustang (S.A.L. 2/3)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 92
- Airframe hours
- 200
- Engine
- Fairchild 6-440-C5, 200 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Dowell, Vaughn E.
- Registered owner
- Dowell, Vaughn E
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Departed
- 48V
- Destination
- 48V
- Airport
- 48V · Tri-County, runway 33, 5,280 × 75 ft, asphalt
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
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--no waivers/lim.
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 6,641 total · 10 in this make and model · 6,573 as pilot in command · 8 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Calm
- Visibility
- 20 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 61 °F
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.