North American P51 - D incident near Mesa, Arizona, October 23, 2014
On October 23, 2014 at about 7:15 pm local time, a 1944 North American P51 - D, registered N351BD, suffered minor damage in an incident during maneuvering near Mesa, Arizona (Phoenix-Mesa Gateway 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 failure of the left main landing gear to extend, which resulted in a gear-up landing. The reason for the left main landing gear’s failure to operate normally could not be determined because postincident examination of the landing gear system did not reveal any anomalies that would have precluded normal operation.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 23, 2014 · about 7:15 pm local time
- Place
- Mesa, Arizona · Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- North American P51 - D, built 1944 · all P51 - Ds on the register
- Registration
- N351BD · no longer on the register · serial 44-85634
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot reported that, after taking off and retracting the landing gear, he noticed that the landing gear lights did not indicate a normal landing gear retraction. The pilot extended the landing gear and then flew by a nearby helicopter, and the helicopter pilot informed him that the right main landing gear was extended but that the left main landing gear was not extended. The pilot's attempts to troubleshoot the problem were unsuccessful, so he chose to return to the airport. After burning off fuel, the pilot made an uneventful gear-up landing. The reason for the left main landing gear's failure to operate normally could not be determined during postincident examination.
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
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during maneuvering defining event
- Landing gear not configured during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft systems › Landing gear system › Main landing gear › Inoperative
- cause Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
Pilot
- Certificate: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 6,700 hours in all; 30 in this make and model; 52 in the last 90 days; 15 in the last 30 days; 6,600 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: September 22, 2014
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 4,119 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, July 24, 2014; 24 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 10,000 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Pkrd-Roll Royce Merlin V-1650 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: P19 Chandler AZ at 6:17 pm
- Destination: P19 Chandler AZ
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 30R, 9,300 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 45 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 6:47 pm from IWA
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.