Muse P51D N151JD

Summary

On 29 March 2020 at about 20:18 local time, a Muse P51D registered N151JD was involved in an accident near Mesquite, Texas, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

29 March 2020 at 20:18

Classification

Accident

Location

Mesquite, Texas, United States

Nearest airport

Mesquite Metro (HQZ)

Coordinates

32.7619, -96.5156

Aircraft

Muse P51D

Registration

N151JD

Category

Airplane

Year built

2016

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Mesquite → Mesquite

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN20LA134

1 person died.

The pilot’s inadvertent exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack for undetermined reasons, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall, loss of control, and subsequent impact with terrain.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses reported that the pilot took off and turned to a right crosswind in the traffic pattern, followed shortly thereafter by a turn to downwind. The airplane then entered a gradually steepening right turn before transitioning to a steep nose down attitude which continued to impact with terrain. Automated Dependent Surveillance – Broadcast (ADS-B) data revealed that the airplane entered a right traffic pattern after takeoff and leveled off about 1,800 ft mean sea level (msl) on a crosswind leg before beginning a turn to a downwind leg. The airplane subsequently entered a steep, descending right turn until impact. The average descent rate over the last 6 seconds of the flight was about 6,000 ft per minute. The airplane was destroyed by impact forces and the postaccident fire. A postaccident examination of the airframe and engine did not reveal any anomalies consistent with a preimpact failure or malfunction. However, the examination was limited by the extent of the impact and postimpact fire damage. For the accident flight, the pilot had planned to proceed to the practice area to conduct airwork; however, he elected to remain in the airport traffic pattern for unknown reasons. Full right rudder trim was set before takeoff in order to counteract engine torque. Based on the available information, the pilot inadvertently entered an aerodynamic stall from which he was unable to recover. The yaw induced by the full right rudder trim aggravated the stall and made recovery more difficult. The reason for the loss of control could not be determined with the available information.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.