North American F-51D accident near Malone, Wisconsin, July 26, 2005
On July 26, 2005 at about 9:00 pm local time, a North American F-51D, registered N6327T, was destroyed in an accident near Malone, Wisconsin. It was a personal 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 pilot not maintaining aircraft control and clearance from terrain for undetermined reasons during a low level maneuver.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 26, 2005 · about 9:00 pm local time
- Place
- Malone, Wisconsin · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American F-51D · all F-51Ds on the register
- Registration
- N6327T · no longer on the register · serial 44-74417A
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The warbird airplane was destroyed on impact with terrain while maneuvering. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed. The accident airplane was the number four airplane which departed with three other airplanes as a flight of four airplanes to perform, "the missing man" demonstration at the Oshkosh air show. 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 was told by the airshow air boss that the hold 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 number four airplane was not in trail and began a search for it. An on-scene investigation revealed no pre-impact anomalies with the engine or airframe. Control cable continuity was established from the flight controls to the cabin area of the fuselage. No evidence of pilot impairment or incapacitation was found.
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: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,650 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: ctr
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 2,208.4 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 10,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce V-1650-7 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: OSH Oshkosh WI at 8:25 pm
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 350° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 3,700 ft; a few clouds at 2,700 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 59°F (15°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 8:53 pm from FLD, 15 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N6327T 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 CHI05FA197.