North American P-51D N3278D

Summary

On 26 June 1987 at about 21:00 local time, a North American P-51D registered N3278D was involved in an accident near Ludington, Michigan, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.

Date

26 June 1987 at 21:00

Classification

Accident

Location

Ludington, Michigan, United States

Coordinates

43.9502, -86.4392

Aircraft

North American P-51D

Registration

N3278D

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Traverse City → Ludington

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CHI87DEM09

2 people died.

The NTSB has not published a probable cause for this record. No probable cause statement is present in the source data.

Nothing about the cause is stated here that is not in the source record.

Read the full NTSB narrative

N3278D WAS #1 (LEADER) IN A FLT OF 2 NORTH AMERICAN P-51 ACFT. THE PLT OF THE 2ND P-51 RPRTD THAT THEY WERE ON A SOUTHERLY HEADING OVER WATER ABOUT 1/2 MI FROM THE SHORE WHEN THE LEADER RAISED HIS NOSE & BEGAN ROLLING TO THE RIGHT. WITNESSES ON THE BEACH ESTIMATED THE ACFT'S ALT WAS BTN 50 & 200 FT BFR BEGINNING THE MANEUVER. RPRTDLY, THE NOSE OF THE ACFT CAME DOWN THRU THE HORIZON AS THE PLANE REACHED AN INVERTED POSITION, THEN THE ACFT ENTERED A DSCNT & THE DIRECTION CHANGED TO THE SOUTHEAST AS THE PLANE ROLLED TO A WINGS LVL ATTITUDE. BFR RECOVERING FROM THE DESCNT, THE ACFT HIT A SAND DUNE NEAR THE SHORE. NO PREIMPACT PART FAILURE OR MALFUNCTION WAS FND.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.