Cavalier Aircraft Corp. F51D Mustang accident near Rexburg, Idaho, December 21, 2006
On December 21, 2006 at about 10:55 pm local time, a Cavalier Aircraft Corp. F51D Mustang, registered N251RM, was substantially damaged in an accident near Rexburg, Idaho (Rexbury-Madison County Airport). It was a flight test under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The loss of engine power for undetermined reasons. A factor was the lack of suitable terrain for a forced landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- December 21, 2006 · about 10:55 pm local time
- Place
- Rexburg, Idaho · Rexbury-Madison County Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Cavalier Aircraft Corp. F51D Mustang
- Registration
- N251RM · no longer on the register · serial 67-22579
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Flight test · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The flight was being conducted as a maintenance test flight after an engine change. After a second touch-and-go, the engine quite at an altitude of about 300 to 400 feet agl, but then resumed operation. The pilot elected to make a tight traffic pattern in order to make it back to the runway, but after the engine quit a second time and restarted, the pilot realized that he wouldn't be able to make the runway and elected to land with the landing gear extended on a highway median. The aircraft impacted terrain with the left wing, subsequently cartwheeling before coming to rest inverted. No anomalies were reported with the airplane prior to the flight. The reason for the loss of engine power was not determined.
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; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 5,850 hours in all; 350 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 20 in the last 30 days; 5,500 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: October 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,143 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 1, 2006; 0 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 11,600 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Rolls-Royce V-1650-7 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: RXE Rexburg ID at 10:20 pm
- Destination: RXE
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 35, 4,200 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 0 knots
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 28°F (-2°C), dew point 12°F (-11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.12 inHg
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.