North American F-51D N51WE
7 March 1988 · State College, Pennsylvania, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 7 March 1988 at about 15:00 local time, a North American F-51D registered N51WE, operated by William E. Clark, was involved in an accident near State College, Pennsylvania, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. No probable cause statement is available for this record.
The record
- Date
- at 15:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- State College, Pennsylvania, United States
- Coordinates
- Not recorded
- Aircraft
- North American F-51D
- Registration
- N51WE
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- William E. Clark
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Unknown → Charleston
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- IMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- NYC88DGT01
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
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
N51WE, A NORTH AMERICAN F-51D TOOK OFF AS THE SECOND SHIP OF A TWO SHIP FLIGHT WITH N6341T, ANOTHER F-51D. THEY WERE OBSERVED CLIMBING IN FORMATION INTO THE CLOUDS. N6341T ASSUMED COMMUNICATIONS AND SAID THEY WERE A FLIGHT OF 2 AND OK, AFTER ATC WAS UNABLE TO CONTACT N51WE. WITNESSES WERE FOUND WHO SAW AND HEARD AN AIRCRAFT TRAVELING NORTH AND EXPERIENCING ENGINE TROUBLE. WITNESSES ALSO SAID THE MOUNTAIN TOPS WERE OBSCURED. N51WE WAS FOUND NEAR THE TOP OF A WOODED HILL SOUTH OF THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESTROYED AND THE PILOT FATALLY INJURED. EXAMINATION OF THE ENGINE SHOWED THAT THERE WAS ONE FOULED SPARK PLUG, HOWEVER, THE MAGNETOS AND CARBURATOR WERE NOT RECOVERED. THE WX OBSERVATION SITE WAS 6 MILES SOUTH OF THE ACC SITE.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other North American F-51D accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11 Apr 1989 | North American F-51D | Fort Wayne, Indiana, United States | Ronald A. Riggi | No injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 1985 | North American F-51D | Van Nuys, California, United States | Joseph Kastaroff | No injuries | - |
| 21 Nov 1992 | North American F-51D | Wellington, Nevada, United States | Harvey E. Hunewill | Fatal | 1 |
| 11 Sep 1982 | North American F-51D | Elko, Nevada, United States | John Wright | Fatal | 2 |
| 23 Oct 1982 | North American F-51D | Piedmont, Oklahoma, United States | Robert Amyx | No injuries | - |
| 29 Dec 1994 | North American F-51D | Round Lake, Illinois, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 Jun 1988 | Schweizer SGS-2-33 | Erwinna, Pennsylvania, United States | Country Aviation | No injuries | - |
| 11 Jun 1988 | Piper PA-28-140 | Lehighton, Pennsylvania, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 18 Jul 1988 | Balloon Works FIREFLY 7 | Saltsburg, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 24 Jul 1988 | Piper PA-28-140 | Smoketown, Pennsylvania, United States | Michael L. Kuhn | No injuries | - |
| 3 Jul 1988 | Champion 7ECA | Bally, Pennsylvania, United States | Elmer E. Kramer | No injuries | - |
| 1 Aug 1988 | Cessna 152 | Hillsville, Pennsylvania, United States | - | No injuries | - |