Smith S-51D accident near Lancaster, California, September 12, 2004
On September 12, 2004 at about 2:50 pm local time, a Smith S-51D, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N51VS, was substantially damaged in an accident near Lancaster, California (William J Fox airport). 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 pilot's misjudged landing flare, failure to correct the descent rate, and failure to execute a go-around during an unstablized landing approach.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 2004 · about 2:50 pm local time
- Place
- Lancaster, California · William J Fox · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Smith S-51D, amateur-built
- Registration
- N51VS · registry record · serial 162
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane impacted the runway in a 3-point attitude, the main landing gear forks fractured, and the airplane skidded off the right side of the runway. The pilot/owner/builder had just recently completed fabricating the airplane, and the purpose of the flight was to develop emergency procedures for engine out landings. The pilot configured the airplane with the landing gear down, flaps up, and the engine at 3,800 rpm (1,784 propeller rpm). He would perform the maneuver at 110 knots. The first attempt left him rolling onto final 1/4 mile short of the runway, so he added power and did a touch-and-go. During the second attempt the pilot overshot the runway extended centerline and executed a go-around. On the third attempt the pilot had the airplane on final, at 200 feet agl, on the runway extended centerline, and about 100 knots. He pulled the stick back to arrest the sink rate. He noted that the angle of attack (AOA) indicator was reading three red dots (indicating that the airplane was within 10 percent of stalling), and the airplane impacted the runway in a 3-point attitude. The main landing gear forks fractured, and the airplane skidded off the right side of the runway, traveling some 600 feet beyond the impact point.
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
- Flight time: 2,391 hours in all; 11 in this make and model; 19 in the last 90 days; 11 in the last 30 days
- Medical certificate: Class 3
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Smith V-8 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: KWJF Lancaster CA
- Destination: KWJF Lancaster CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 24
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Temperature: 0°F (-18°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
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 N51VS 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.