ASN Wikibase Occurrence # 138572
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| Date: | Friday 16 September 2011 |
| Time: | 16:26 |
| Type: |  North American P-51D-15-NA Mustang (mod.) |
| Owner/operator: | Private |
| Registration: | NX79111 |
| MSN: | 44-15651 |
| Engine model: | AMA/EXPR UNKNOWN ENG |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 10 |
| Aircraft damage: | Destroyed |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Reno-Stead Airport - KRTS, NV -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Manoeuvring (airshow, firefighting, ag.ops.) |
| Nature: | Demo/Airshow/Display |
| Departure airport: | Reno-Stead Airport, NV (KRTS) |
| Reno-Stead Airport, NV (KRTS) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
On September 16, 2011, about 1625 Pacific daylight time, an experimental, single-seat North American P-51D, N79111, collided with the airport ramp in the spectator box seating area following a loss of control during the National Championship Air Races unlimited class gold race at the Reno/Stead Airport (RTS), Reno, Nevada. The airplane was registered to Aero-Trans Corp (dba Leeward Aeronautical Sales), Ocala, Florida, and operated by the commercial pilot as Race 177, The Galloping Ghost, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot and 10 people on the ground sustained fatal injuries, and at least 64 people on the ground were injured (at least 16 of whom were reported to have sustained serious injuries). The airplane sustained substantial damage, fragmenting upon collision with the ramp. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local air race flight, which departed RTS about 10 minutes before the accident.
Probable Cause: The reduced stiffness of the elevator trim tab system that allowed aerodynamic flutter to occur at racing speeds. The reduced stiffness was a result of deteriorated locknut inserts that allowed the trim tab attachment screws to become loose and to initiate fatigue cracking in one screw sometime before the accident flight. Aerodynamic flutter of the trim tabs resulted in a failure of the left trim tab link assembly, elevator movement, high flight loads, and a loss of control. Contributing to the accident were the undocumented and untested major modifications to the airplane and the pilot’s operation of the airplane in the unique air racing environment without adequate flight testing.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB Report: https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/AAB1201.pdf
Location
Media:
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 16-Sep-2011 21:07 | RobertMB | Added |
| 16-Sep-2011 21:14 | RobertMB | Updated [Narrative] |
| 17-Sep-2011 12:19 | vielmetti | Updated [Time, Other fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 17-Sep-2011 16:23 | gerard57 | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Narrative] |
| 19-Sep-2011 02:30 | flyflyfly | Updated [Embed code, Narrative] |
| 19-Sep-2011 09:16 | gerard57 | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 21-Sep-2011 00:16 | gerard57 | Updated [Other fatalities, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 13-Aug-2012 13:19 | harro | Updated [Source, Embed code] |
| 28-Aug-2012 00:36 | Anon. | Updated [Time, Source, Embed code, Narrative] |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:26 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency] |
| 27-Nov-2017 17:14 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Cn, Operator, Departure airport, Destination airport, Source, Narrative] |
| 18-Aug-2021 19:08 | Anon. | Updated [Source, Damage] |
| 18-Aug-2021 19:12 | harro | Updated [Embed code, Narrative, Accident report] |
| 21-Nov-2023 15:59 | Anon. | Updated [Registration, Departure airport, Destination airport] |
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