North American P-51D accident near Reno, Nevada, September 14, 1985
On September 14, 1985 at about 10:29 pm local time, a North American P-51D, registered N10607, was substantially damaged in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno-Stead airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind 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 NTSB has not yet published a probable cause for this accident. Investigations usually take one to two years; this page updates when the final report is released.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 14, 1985 · about 10:29 pm local time · cases in 1985
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno-Stead · 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
- N10607 · registry record · serial 44-74466A
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE PLT HAD COMPLETED A HEAT RACE AS A PARTICIPANT IN THE RENO NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP AIR RACES AND WAS LANDING IN A GUSTY X-WIND WHEN THE ACFT'S LEFT WING WAS LIFTED BY THE WIND AND THE ACFT CARTWHEELED, RESULTING IN SUBSTANTIAL DAMAGE TO THE WINGS AND TO THE FUSELAGE.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 6,200 hours in all; 600 in this make and model; 6,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: ctr
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,532 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, April 26, 1985; 25 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,157 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce V1650 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 4SD at 10:10 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 26, 7,600 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 25 knots, gusting 35
- Visibility: 50 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°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 N10607 the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N10607 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 V1650 54 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Accidents and incidents in Nevada 1,294 since 1982 · 223 in the last ten years
- Nevada 4,583 aircraft registered
- Other NTSB records under N10607 1 records · the number may have belonged to another aircraft at the time
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/LAX85LA392.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.