History of Flight
On July 16, 2017, at approximately 1018 central daylight time, a North American Aero Classics P-51D airplane, registration N251PW, was destroyed when it struck trees and terrain about 2.5 miles northeast of Cummings, Kansas. The airline transport pilot and the commercial pilot-certificated passenger sustained fatal injuries. The aircraft was owned by Mustang Historic Military Aircraft, LLC, and operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a local personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions were present, and no flight plan was filed. The flight departed Amelia Earhart Airport (K59) in Atchison, Kansas, about 1005.
Several witnesses located between the airport and the accident site reported that the airplane performed aerobatic maneuvers south of the airport. One witness, positioned a few hundred feet from the crash, observed the airplane fly over power lines at an altitude of 25 to 30 feet above ground. The airplane then pitched up into a near-vertical climb, the nose turned left, and the aircraft subsequently pitched down into a nose-low attitude. As it descended, the tail rose just before impact. The airplane struck the ground in a near-vertical orientation. The witness initially thought the sound was from the passenger, who routinely flew agricultural aircraft in the area.
Radar data from the FAA's National Track Analysis Program tracked the flight from 1009:41 until the accident. The airplane initially climbed to 2,000 feet mean sea level (msl), with altitudes varying between 2,100 and 4,400 feet msl. During the final 30 seconds, the altitude was about 2,500 feet at 1018:04, rose to 2,700 feet at 1018:08, dropped to 2,500 feet at 1018:22, and continued descending to 1,600 feet at 1018:27. The last radar target was 250 feet northeast of the initial impact point.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a second-class medical certificate with limitations requiring glasses for near/intermediate vision, valid until May 31, 2018. He possessed an FAA Statement of Aerobatic Competency for four warbird types, including the P-51, with an unrestricted altitude level and endorsements for solo and formation aerobatics, which expired in October 2019. According to family, he had flown this make and model for over 20 years.
The pilot-certificated passenger also held a second-class medical certificate with a requirement to wear corrective lenses. On her application, she estimated 2,000 total flight hours, with 600 in the previous six months. She was the airport manager at K59 and employed as an agricultural pilot. She had no flight time or experience in the accident aircraft make and model.
Aircraft Information
The North American P-51D Mustang is a low-wing, single-seat, single-engine, propeller-driven fighter originally built for World War II and the Korean War. This airplane, serial number 44-72086, was delivered to the Army Air Forces on January 20, 1945. It was acquired by the current owner in 1996 and restored to airworthy condition in 2011, painted in the markings of Captain Herbert G. Kolb's "Baby Duck" of the 353rd Fighter Group, 350th Fighter Squadron.
The aircraft was modified with a second seat aft of the pilot, equipped with flight controls installed in 1968, including a control stick, rudder pedals (without brakes), throttle, and limited flight instruments. No trim, landing gear controls, or radios were in the aft compartment.
Wreckage and Impact
The accident site was in rolling terrain at 1,050 feet msl, with a ground impact magnetic heading of 259°. A tree showed separated branches with damage at an estimated 60° angle. A long, narrow ground scar perpendicular to the debris path contained the pitot tube. A large crater held the engine, gearbox, and propeller assembly. The empennage and fuselage fragments were 25 feet northwest of the propeller. Wing and control surface fragments were scattered over 450 feet. Cockpit instruments separated and showed no reliable readings. All major components were accounted for.
Medical and Pathological Information
Autopsies of both occupants, performed on July 17, 2017, at the Forensic Medical Morgue of Kansas City, Kansas, concluded the cause of death as blunt traumatic injuries from the crash. The pilot's autopsy revealed mild coronary artery disease, focal hypertrophic cardiac myocytes, and a focal healed endomyocardial scar. He had reported diabetes, hypertension, and high cholesterol. Toxicological tests detected 54 mg/dL ethanol in liver and 10 mg/dL in muscle, along with atorvastatin and losartan, which are not impairing. Ethanol could be from postmortem putrefaction. The passenger's toxicology was negative for carbon monoxide and drugs, but blood showed 36 mg/dL ethanol; putrefaction was present.
Additional Information
The aircraft was owned by Historic Military Aircraft, LLC, and operated by the Warbird Heritage Foundation. The pilot was hired through Dacy Airshows for the Amelia Earhart Festival the previous day. The passenger asked the pilot for a flight the evening before, and they agreed to fly together before his departure. A witness stated no agreement for the passenger to manipulate controls was known. The passenger was in the back seat with access to controls, but investigators could not determine who was controlling the aircraft at the time of the accident.
Tests and Research
The wreckage was recovered for examination. Forward and aft flight controls were reconstructed, showing deformation, fractures, and overstress separation. The empennage exhibited significant impact damage. The propeller separated from the engine; all four blades had leading edge damage and chordwise scratching. The blower assembly separated, with impeller blades bent opposite rotation. Detailed examination is available in the Airworthiness Group Chairman's factual report.