North American P-51D accident near Reno, Nevada, September 12, 1994
On September 12, 1994 at about 8:17 pm local time, a North American P-51D, registered N51U, was destroyed in an accident near Reno, Nevada (Reno/Stead airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control during an attempted forced landing. Factors in the accident were the failure of a propeller blade-feathering oil seal which leaked oil on the windshield, obscuring the pilot's vision.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 12, 1994 · about 8:17 pm local time
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno/Stead · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American P-51D · all P-51Ds on the register
- Registration
- N51U · no longer on the register · serial 44-74204N
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH LEVEL TERRAIN WHILE ATTEMPTING AN EMERGENCY LANDING DURING AIR RACING TRIALS. THE PILOT HAD PULLED UP OFF THE RACE COURSE AND TRANSMITTED A 'MAYDAY' DISTRESS CALL. HE INDICATED THE AIRPLANE'S WINDSCREEN WAS COVERED WITH OIL, RESTRICTING HIS VISION. THE PILOT WAS NOT ALIGNED WITH THE RUNWAY AND COLLIDED WITH THE GROUND IN A '20-25 DEGREE' NOSE-DOWN ATTITUDE SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. EXAMINATION OF THE WRECKAGE REVEALED A PROPELLER BLADE-FEATHERING OIL SEAL IN THE PROPELLER HUB WAS DISLODGED, ALLOWING PRESSURIZED OIL TO LEAK AND FOUL THE WINDSHIELD.
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: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,034 hours in all; 335 in this make and model; 11 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 1,000 as pilot in command
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 1994; 88 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 8,200 lb
- Seats: 159
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Packard V-1650-9A/620 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 0
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 010° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 40 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 9,500 ft; scat at 6,000 ft
- Temperature: 68°F (20°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.00 inHg
- Observation at 8:52 pm from RNO, 10 miles away
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 N51U 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.