North American P-51C accident near Hager City, Wisconsin, May 29, 2004
On May 29, 2004 at about 7:10 pm local time, a North American P-51C, registered N61429, was substantially damaged in an accident near Hager City, Wisconsin (Red Wing Regional airport). It was an air show or air race flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The improper installation of the camshaft drive gear assembly which resulted in the retaining nut backing off allowing the drive gear to move up the shaft. A factor associated with the accident was the low altitude at which the power loss occurred and the trees which the airplane contacted during the forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 29, 2004 · about 7:10 pm local time
- Place
- Hager City, Wisconsin · Red Wing Regional · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American P-51C · all P-51Cs on the register
- Registration
- N61429 · registry record · serial 103-26199
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Air show or air race flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane collided with trees and terrain following a loss of engine power while maneuvering during an airshow. Witnesses reported hearing the pilot state that he had an engine malfunction as he was lining up for a low pass over the airport. They stated the propeller was turning, but the airplane was descending. The airplane passed under high tension power lines and collided with trees prior to coming to rest in the back yard of a residence. Examination of the engine revealed the upper vertical camshaft drive gear had backed off of the drive shaft. The camshaft gear fits on splines on the upper vertical drive shaft followed by a tab washer, a retainer washer, and a retaining nut. The retainer washer has two interior tabs that insert into smaller splines at the top of the shaft, which keep it from rotating. On the outer diameter surface, the retainer washer contains slots where tabs from the tab washer can be bent into place. A metallurgical examination of the gearbox cover, retaining nut, retaining washer, tab washer, and the camshaft drive gear revealed the components were installed in the correct order. The damage on the components indicates that the tabs on the tab washer were most likely not bent into place around the retaining washer and nut, allowing the nut to back off the shaft. It could not be determined if the nut had been properly torqued during its installation. The engine had been overhauled approximately 424 hours prior to the accident.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,000 hours in all; 125 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,832.1 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, March 28, 2004; 15 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 12,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rolls-Royce V-1650-7 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RGK Red Wing MN at 5:30 pm
- Destination: RGK Red Wing MN
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 120° at 19 knots, gusting 25
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 1,000 ft
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 7:15 pm from RGK
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N61429 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number CHI04LA128.