- Date
- June 23, 1990, 13:00 local (18:00 UTC)
- Place
- Abilene, TX
- Injuries
- 1 fatal
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Phase of flight
- Maneuvering
- Aircraft
- N12700North American P-51D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report May 28, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19900623021809A
- Case key
- 22965
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
Failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while maneuvering after a low pass, which resulted in an inadvertent stall. The high density altitude was a related 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
According to witnesses, the pilot began his air show routine with a low pass down the runway from north to south. He then made a climbing turn to a close-in downwind leg. At the end of the downwind leg, the airplane entered a climbing right turn at what was reported to be a slower that normal speed. After about 90 degrees of turn, the angle of bank increased rapidly, the nose dropped, and the airplane impacted the ground in a steep descent. A witness reported the engine was not developing full power; however, this could not be substantiated. Density altitude was about 4500 ft.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N12700
- Reported as
- North American P-51D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 44-26139
- Engine
- Rolls-Royce V-1650-7, 1,590 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Part 91
- Registered owner
- D. K. Precison
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Airport
- DYS · Dyess, runway 16, 13,600 × 300 ft, concrete
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
- 58
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Multi-engine land, Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 2, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Front
- Toxicology
- Performed
- Flight hours
- 2,500 total · 150 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 8 knots
- Visibility
- 15 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 91 °F, dew point 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- DYS, 1 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.