History of Flight
On March 11, 2010, at about 1323 mountain standard time, an experimental North American P-51D, registration N514NH, collided with a hangar at Stellar Airpark in Chandler, Arizona. The airplane was operated by Hirani Oil Arizona LLC under 14 CFR Part 91 for a local personal flight. It had departed Chandler around 1300. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed; no flight plan was filed.
Witnesses observed the airplane make a low pass, then a climbing left turn to enter the traffic pattern for landing. The landing gear was extended as the airplane approached midfield on the downwind leg. One witness thought the base and final legs appeared normal; another noted a high descent rate on final. The airplane bounced three times, yawed left, and rocked its wings with oscillations increasing to about 40 degrees. The left wing was low on the last touchdown. Power was applied, and the airplane leveled off at about 5 feet, yawed about 30 degrees to the runway.
An instructor pilot (IP) familiar with the P-51 and the accident airplane and pilot observed the landing. He described the approach to runway 17 as normal until short final, when the pilot closed the throttle to land near the approach end—a technique he had used previously to exit at an intersection. The sink rate was greater than normal, and the main landing gear contacted the runway before the flare was complete.
The IP also noted the pilot preferred to sit very low in the cockpit, which in his opinion reduced forward visibility and depth perception.
After touchdown, the airplane bounced about 20 feet, with the nose pitching up 20–25 degrees. The IP believed the airplane stalled as the left wing dropped about 20 degrees and the airplane turned left. The pilot appeared to take corrective action by lowering the nose to level, leveling the wings, and adding power.
As the airplane regained flying speed, it settled back toward the runway while heading toward a hangar complex. It departed the east edge of the runway, crossed the grass infield, and a perpendicular taxiway. The left main tire blew as it crossed a curb. The main gear wheels rolled about 100 feet farther. The airplane continued to accelerate; the pilot appeared to attempt flight to escape the situation. It briefly became airborne before striking a large rock and a fence post. It continued across a parking ramp and collided with a large hangar door post, which halted it instantly.
The IP noted engine performance was normal. He heard the engine go to idle on short final and remain at or near idle power when the airplane stalled after the initial touchdown. He observed no significant left yaw during the nose-down pitch change, indicating the propeller was turning at or near normal idle rpm. The engine noise increased to a higher power sound—estimated at 3,000 rpm—during the aborted landing attempt. This power setting remained until the airplane struck the fence. Thereafter, the engine sound increased abnormally, which the IP opined could result from the propeller gearbox uncoupling or separating, unloading the engine. The sound stayed at this high level until the airplane collided with the hangar door, at which point engine sounds ceased.
The airplane fragmented after hitting the fence and caught fire immediately after colliding with the hangar.
Personnel Information
The 54-year-old pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single-engine and multiengine land. He held a third-class medical certificate issued February 23, 2009, with no limitations or waivers. His logbook last entry was August 26, 2008, indicating an estimated total flight time of 4,890 hours, with 28 hours in the previous 90 days (6.9 in the P-51). He had an estimated 49.5 hours in that make and model, with 36.6 of the previous 12 months’ 208 hours in the P-51. He completed a biennial flight review in December 2008. The pilot had owned the airplane since April 2007.
Aircraft Information
The airplane was an experimental North American P-51D, serial number 44-84850. No logbooks were recovered. The pilot’s mechanic informed the FAA that the total airframe time at the last annual inspection was 3,104 hours. The most recent annual inspection was completed April 9, 2009. The engine was a Rolls-Royce V-1650-7 rated at 1,695 horsepower, with 491 hours since major overhaul.
Medical and Pathological Information
The Maricopa County Coroner performed an autopsy, ruling the cause of death as smoke inhalation and thermal burns. Toxicological testing by the Forensic Toxicology Research Team, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, found no cyanide, volatiles, or tested drugs. The report noted 20 percent carbon monoxide in the pilot's blood.