Amateur-built P-51 accident near Hampstead, North Carolina, January 9, 2000
On January 9, 2000 at about 5:24 pm local time, a amateur-built P-51, registered N656S, was destroyed in an accident near Hampstead, North Carolina (Topsail Airport). It was a personal flight 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 pilots failure to maintain airspeed (VSO) while maneuve ring on a turn to crosswind resulting in an inadvertent stall/spin, and subsequent in-flight collision with trees and terrain.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- January 9, 2000 · about 5:24 pm local time
- Place
- Hampstead, North Carolina · Topsail Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built P-51
- Registration
- N656S · registry record · serial 49
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was observed on takeoff from runway 3. The air plane became airborne about 1,000 feet down the runway. The airplane reached about 100 to 150 feet, started a slow left turn, stalled, the left wing dropped down, the nose pitched down, and the airplane disappeared from view behind a tree line and crashed.
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: 80 hours in all
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: (type not recorded); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 01NC at 5:23 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 3, 3,200 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 170° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 1,300 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 63°F (17°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:05 pm from ILM
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.