American Air Racing Thunder Mustang accident near Reno, Nevada, September 4, 2007
On September 4, 2007, a American Air Racing Thunder Mustang, an amateur-built aircraft,, registered N351F, was destroyed in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno/Stead 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
Fire resulting from vegetation contacting hot brakes following an aborted takeoff.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 4, 2007
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno/Stead · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- American Air Racing Thunder Mustang, amateur-built
- Registration
- N351F · no longer on the register · serial BITO12
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane overran the runway's departure end during an aborted takeoff. When the airplane came to a stop in the adjacent field, brush was ignited by the airplane's hot brakes. The resulting fire destroyed the airplane. During the takeoff roll, the pilot observed that the airspeed indicator was inoperative, and he aborted the takeoff. As the airplane decelerated from an estimated speed of 100 miles per hour, the brakes became progressively hotter, and the rate of deceleration became slower. The airplane came to a stop 300 to 400 feet after overrunning the runway's end.
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, flight instructor, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 31,000 hours in all; 130 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 1
The aircraft
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Falconer Engineering V12023 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: 4SD Reno NV
- Destination: 4SD Reno NV
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 7,608 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- 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.
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.