North American F-51D accident near Round Lake, Illinois, December 29, 1994
On December 29, 1994 at about 7:56 pm local time, a North American F-51D, registered N51TK, was substantially damaged in an accident near Round Lake, Illinois. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
fuel starvation resulting from exhaustion of the fuel supply in the left tank. A factor related to the accident was insufficient altitude to switch fuel tanks and effect an engine restart.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 29, 1994 · about 7:56 pm local time
- Place
- Round Lake, Illinois · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American F-51D · all F-51Ds on the register
- Registration
- N51TK · registry record · serial 44-63350
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PILOT REPORTED HE WAS CLIMBING THROUGH 2,500 FEET WHEN 'THE ENGINE STOPPED ABRUPTLY.' HE WAS USING FUEL FROM THE LEFT TANK AND IMMEDIATELY SWITCHED THE FUEL SELECTOR TO THE RIGHT TANK POSITION. HE PLACED THE MIXTURE IN THE EMERGENCY RICH POSITION AND CHECKED THE BOOST PUMP AND MAGNETO SWITCHES ON. THE ENGINE DID NOT RECOVER AND HE CONDUCTED AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN A FOREST PRESERVE. INSPECTION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED NO EVIDENCE OF PREIMPACT MALFUNCTION. THE LEFT FUEL TANK AND FUEL LINES WERE INTACT AND CONTAINED NO USABLE FUEL. THE ENGINE PERFORMED NORMALLY WHEN IT WAS OPERATED ON A TEST STAND.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; multi-engine sea; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 3,900 hours in all; 110 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 6 in the last 30 days; 3,800 as pilot in command; 150 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection; 20 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 9,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce V1650-9 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PWK Wheeling IL at 8:45 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 040° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 20 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 19°F (-7°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Other NTSB records under N51TK 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 CHI95LA064.