Amateur-built LOEHLE MUSTANG T5151 accident near Livermore, California, June 22, 2014
On June 22, 2014, a 2013 amateur-built LOEHLE MUSTANG T5151, registered N518BC, was destroyed in an accident during maneuvering near Livermore, California (Livermore Muni airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
An in-flight fire of unknown origin for reasons that could not be determined because of impact damage and postimpact fire damage.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- June 22, 2014
- Place
- Livermore, California · Livermore Muni · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Amateur-built LOEHLE MUSTANG T5151, built 2013
- Registration
- N518BC · registry record · serial 5151-10873332
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The private pilot was conducting a local personal flight. One witness reported that the airplane departed the airport and that, when it was about 2 miles from the airport, it pitched up, banked left, and then flew straight down. Another witness stated that the airplane was trailing smoke and appeared to be on fire and that the airplane banked left and right, pitched up, and then pitched straight down. The airplane subsequently impacted terrain, which ignited a grass fire. Postaccident examination of the wreckage found no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation. A year before the accident, the pilot was involved in a hard landing following a loss of engine power in the accident airplane. Review of recent correspondence between the pilot and the Federal Aviation Administration revealed that the pilot had removed fuel filters on the airplane that had resulted in the loss of power at certain altitudes and installed an electric fuel pump in addition to replacing all of the polyurethane tubing that supplied fuel to the engine. Maintenance records revealed no entries pertaining to the fuel system. Due to impact damage and postimpact fire damage, the source of the in-flight fire could not be 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
What happened, in order
- Fire/smoke (non-impact) during maneuvering
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
- Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during maneuvering
The NTSB's findings
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 830 hours in all
- Last flight review: March 30, 2013
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: sngl
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection, March 30, 2014; 22 hours since
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 582UL DCDI-99 (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire in flight and on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: LVK Livermore CA at 11:53 pm
- Destination: LVK Livermore CA
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 25R, 5,253 ft by 100 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 200° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 73°F (23°C), dew point 45°F (7°C)
- Altimeter: 29.87 inHg
- Observation at 11:53 pm from KLVK, 2 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 1 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR14FA258.