Fighter Escort Wings LTD P-51D accident near Seymour, Texas, November 10, 1994
On November 10, 1994 at about 3:30 pm local time, a Fighter Escort Wings LTD P-51D, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N51K, was substantially damaged in an accident near Seymour, Texas. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
THE FAILURE OF THE PROPELLER SPEED UNIT. A FACTOR WAS THE LACK OF SUITABLE TERRAIN FOR THE FORCED LANDING.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 10, 1994 · about 3:30 pm local time
- Place
- Seymour, Texas · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Fighter Escort Wings LTD P-51D, amateur-built
- Registration
- N51K · no longer on the register · serial 001
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
DURING CRUISE FLIGHT THE PILOT HEARD A 'LOUD POP' FOLLOWED BY A LOSS OF POWER. THE PILOT FOLLOWED HIS FORCED LANDING PROCEDURES AND LANDED IN THE ONLY AVAILABLE AREA. DURING THE LANDING ROLL, BOTH MAIN LANDING GEAR COLLAPSED. AN EXAMINATION OF THE AIRCRAFT REVEALED THAT THE PROPELLER SPEED CONTROL UNIT HAD FAILED.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,400 hours in all; 200 in this make and model; 75 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 2,311 as pilot in command; 1,300 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 320 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, October 31, 1994; 30 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Chevrolet 350 HO 223 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: ADM Ardmore OK at 2:15 pm
- Destination: 5T6 Santa Teresa NM
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 3 knots
- Visibility: 30 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 64°F (18°C), dew point 57°F (14°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N51K the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.