North American P-51D accident near Minden, Nevada, December 7, 2005
On December 7, 2005 at about 5:30 pm local time, a North American P-51D, registered N251BP, was substantially damaged in an accident near Minden, Nevada (Minden-Tahoe 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 failure to maintain directional control on landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 7, 2005 · about 5:30 pm local time · cases in 2005
- Place
- Minden, Nevada · Minden-Tahoe Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American P-51D · all P-51Ds on the register
- Registration
- N251BP · registry record · serial 44-84756
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane bent a wing after veering off the runway during landing. The pilot reported that after touchdown he lowered the tail to the runway and the airplane swerved. The pilot said he overcorrected and the airplane veered off the runway. The airplane bounced over the dirt next to the runway and came to rest on the taxiway.
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: 3,000 hours in all; 500 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 3,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: June 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 3
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 1, 2005
- Maximum gross weight: 12,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce V-1650-7 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: MEV Minden NV at 5:00 pm
- Destination: MEV Minden NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 34, 7,400 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 3 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds
- Temperature: 50°F (10°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.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N251BP on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- North American P-51 Mustang 60 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- North American 1,297 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Rolls-Royce V-1650-7 54 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Minden-Tahoe Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Nevada 1,294 since 1982 · 223 in the last ten years
- Nevada 4,583 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX06CA047.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.