- Date
- April 3, 1987, 09:00 local (16:00 UTC)
- Place
- Ashfork, AZ
- Injuries
- 1 minor
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N1451DNorth American P51D
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report February 17, 1989
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Case key
- 25351
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 north American P-51D experienced a total loss of engine power after cruising at 10,000 feet MSL for 45 minutes. Attempts to restart the engine were unsuccessful. The aircraft collided with some trees prior to coming to rest in an open field. The landing gear was not extended prior to the forced landing. The pilot reported that the RPM read zero even though the engine was windmilling. Tear down of the engine revealed a failed bearing on the vertical accessory drive shaft. The failure allowed the shaft to shift upwards disengaging the gears. The vertical shaft drives the majority of the accessories (mags,pumps,tach,etc.).
Aircraft
- Registration
- N1451D
- Reported as
- North American P51D
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 44-74446-A
- Airframe hours
- 1,788
- Engine
- Packard V 1650, 1,490 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Registered owner
- Michael Clarke
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Limited (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 12, 1987 · 37 hours before
- Departed
- PRC · Prescott, AZ
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
- 49
- Certificate
- Commercial
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Center
- Flight hours
- 1,880 total · 551 in this make and model · 1,608 as pilot in command · 38 in the last 90 days
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- Variable at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 50 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 70 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
Other investigations on N1451D · 3
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.