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P-51 Down at Oshkosh

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NTSB Identification: CHI05FA197
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, July 26, 2005 in Malone, WI
Aircraft: North American F-51D, registration: N6327T
Injuries: 1 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On July 26, 2005, about 1600 central daylight time, N6327T, registered as a North American F-51D airplane, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed on impact with terrain while maneuvering near Malone, Wisconsin. The personal flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight plan was on file. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The local flight departed from the Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), near Oshkosh, Wisconsin, about 1525.

The airplane departed OSH with three other airplanes as a flight of four airplanes to perform the missing man demonstration at the air show at OSH. The accident airplane was the no. 4 airplane in the flight. According to the lead airplane's pilot, the flight of four was holding in a V-shaped formation on the east side of Lake Winnebago at 2,000 feet above ground level. The flight leader asked the air show's air boss how much longer they would have to hold before the flight's performance could start. The air boss stated it would be about another 15 minutes. The flight leader called a formation change to four airplanes in trail and the flight performed a ground reference maneuver called lazy eights. During the lazy eight maneuver, the flight realized that the no. 4 airplane was not in trail and began a search for it.

A witness stated:

On about 4:00 to 4:15 PM I observed 4 airplanes coming from the
west side of Lake Winnebago and they started to do some steep
turns following the shore line. [Three] of the airplanes held a
tight flight pattern and did steep turns [and] the 4th aircraft was
substantially further behind the 3 planes. I noticed this when they
came across the lake and also when they started their maneuvers.
The plane kept far behind [and] followed the first 3 planes
maneuvers. When the 1st, 2nd [and] 3rd planes did a steep turn and
headed east then pulled up and at the top of the pull out they rolled
the airplanes over/turn [and] continued east. The 4th plane followed
but on top of his pull up and rolled slower than the 3 previously. The
plane never finished the roll completely [and] tucked under [and] flew
[inverted] to the west instead of east following the 3 planes. The
plane then turned to the north trying to recover but all I heard was an
acceleration of speed [and] the plane going straight down until it went
thud and quit. The other 3 planes kept flying for 5 minutes or so ... .

An on-scene investigation was conducted. The airplane came to rest in a field at latitude 43 degrees 55.959 minutes N and longitude 88 degrees 18.521 minutes W. The airplane's fuselage, wings, and engine were found crushed rearward. The propeller was found impacted in terrain about five feet below grade. Two of the propeller blades were separated from the propeller hub. The empennage was separated from the fuselage forward of the tailwheel. The empennage came to rest inverted. The smell of aviation gasoline was present and vegetation around the wreckage exhibited blight.

The wreckage was removed to a sheltered area for examination. Control cable continuity was established from the flight controls to the cabin area of the fuselage. All observed breaks in control cables exhibited a broom straw appearance. The propellers were examined and the blades' leading edges exhibited nicks. A liquid consistent with aviation gasoline was found in a fuel valve. The engine was crushed and deformed. The crankshaft was intact and deformed in an accordion shape. No pre-impact anomalies were found with the engine or airframe.

At 1553, the recorded weather at the Fond Du Lac County Airport, near Fond Du Lac, Wisconsin, was: Wind 350 degrees at 8 knots; visibility 10 statute miles; sky condition few 2,700 feet, broken 3,700 feet, overcast 7,500 feet; temperature 22 degrees C; dew point 15 degrees C; altimeter 29.89 inches of mercury.
 

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