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LAX87DVW01

1987-04-03 · ASHFORK, Arizona, United States · Minor · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N1451D

Make / Model
NORTH AMERICAN/AERO CLASSICS P-51D
Year of manufacture
1944 · 43 years old at event
Engine
PKRD-ROLL V1650 SERIES (1490 hp)
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19751009
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A0B7C2

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Factual narrative

THE NORTH AMERICAN P-51D EXPERIENCED A TOTAL LOSS OF ENGINE POWER AFTER CRUISING AT 10,000 FEET MSL FOR 45 MINUTES. ATTEMPTS TO RESTART THE ENGINE WERE UNSUCCESSFUL. THE AIRCRAFT COLLIDED WITH SOME TREES PRIOR TO COMING TO REST IN AN OPEN FIELD. THE LANDING GEAR WAS NOT EXTENDED PRIOR TO THE FORCED LANDING. THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE RPM READ ZERO EVEN THOUGH THE ENGINE WAS WINDMILLING. TEAR DOWN OF THE ENGINE REVEALED A FAILED BEARING ON THE VERTICAL ACCESSORY DRIVE SHAFT. THE FAILURE ALLOWED THE SHAFT TO SHIFT UPWARDS DISENGAGING THE GEARS. THE VERTICAL SHAFT DRIVES THE MAJORITY OF THE ACCESSORIES (MAGS,PUMPS,TACH,ETC.). Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1987_LAX87DVW01.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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