Amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG accident near Glendale, Arizona, October 2, 1997
On October 2, 1997 at about 10:30 pm local time, a amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG, registered N32JB, was substantially damaged in an accident near Glendale, Arizona (Luke Afb 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 inability to maintain directional control of the aircraft due to the deflation of the right main gear tire. Factors in this accident were the soft sand on the side of the runway and the left crosswind.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 2, 1997 · about 10:30 pm local time
- Place
- Glendale, Arizona · Luke Afb · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built MIDGET MUSTANG MIDGET MUS
- Registration
- N32JB · registry record · serial 473
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's gear dug into soft sand after it departed the runway and the aircraft nosed over. In a postaccident examination of the aircraft, the pilot found a 5-inch cut in the tire and a 3-inch cut in the tube of the right main landing gear. The pilot believed that the cut occurred on takeoff from Del Rio, Texas. An FAA Inspector examined the aircraft, noted the cut and deflated tire, and also noted that the right main landing gear was deflated. The inspector also found corresponding skid marks on the runway.
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
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 5,200 hours in all; 650 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 736 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, September 26, 1997; 14 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 1,500 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-320-E20 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DRT Del Rio TX at 3:50 pm
- Destination: LUF
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 21R, 10,000 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 150° at 12 knots, gusting 18
- 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.