North American/Aero Classics P-51D accident near Reno, Nevada, September 16, 2011
On September 16, 2011 at about 11:26 pm local time, a North American/Aero Classics P-51D, registered N79111, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering (low-alt flying) near Reno, Nevada (Reno/Stead Airport). It was an air show or air race 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 reduced stiffness of the elevator trim tab system that allowed aerodynamic flutter to occur at racing speeds. The reduced stiffness was a result of deteriorated locknut inserts that allowed the trim tab attachment screws to become loose and to initiate fatigue cracking in one screw sometime before the accident flight. Aerodynamic flutter of the trim tabs resulted in a failure of the left trim tab link assembly, elevator movement, high flight loads, and a loss of control. Contributing to the accident were the undocumented and untested major modifications to the airplane and the pilot’s operation of the airplane in the unique air racing environment without adequate flight testing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 16, 2011 · about 11:26 pm local time · cases in 2011
- Place
- Reno, Nevada · Reno/Stead Airport · cases near this airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American/Aero Classics P-51D · all P-51Ds on the register
- Registration
- N79111 · no longer on the register · serial 44-15651
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Air show or air race flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The Safety Board's full report is available at http://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/reports.html. The Aircraft Accident Report number is NTSB/AAB-12/01. On September 16, 2011, about 1625 Pacific daylight time, an experimental, single-seat North American P-51D, N79111, collided with the airport ramp in the spectator box seating area following a loss of control during the National Championship Air Races unlimited class gold race at the Reno/Stead Airport (RTS), Reno, Nevada. The airplane was registered to Aero-Trans Corp (dba Leeward Aeronautical Sales), Ocala, Florida, and operated by the commercial pilot as Race 177, The Galloping Ghost, under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The pilot and 10 people on the ground sustained fatal injuries, and at least 64 people on the ground were injured (at least 16 of whom were reported to have sustained serious injuries). The airplane sustained substantial damage, fragmenting upon collision with the ramp. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan had been filed for the local air race flight, which departed RTS about 10 minutes before the accident.
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
What happened, in order
- Aircraft maintenance event during prior to flight
- Aircraft structural failure during maneuvering (low-alt flying) defining event
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering (low-alt flying)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Tab structure (on elevator) › Failure other cases naming the airframe structure
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Empennage structure › Elevator/tab attach fitting › Fatigue/wear/corrosion other cases naming the airframe structure
- factor Personnel issues › Action/decision › Action › (general) › Pilot
- factor Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not specified
- Organizational issues › Support/oversight/monitoring › Documentation/record keeping › (general) › FAA/Regulator
- Environmental issues › Operating environment › Airport facilities/design › (general) › Contributed to outcome
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instrument: airplane; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ama/Expr UNKNOWN ENG (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: KRTS Reno NV
- Destination: KRTS Reno NV
- Flight plan: not recorded
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 260° at 15 knots, gusting 20
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear at 8,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 32°F (0°C)
- Altimeter: 29.98 inHg
- Observation at 11:30 pm from KRTS
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
59 documents, released by the NTSB on August 21, 2012. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N79111: not on the register today · the record of its deregistration
- North American/Aero Classics P-51 70 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- North American/Aero Classics 70 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Ama/Expr UNKNOWN ENG · as the NTSB recorded it
- Reno/Stead Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Nevada 1,294 since 1982 · 223 in the last ten years
- Nevada 4,583 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/WPR11MA454.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.