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LAX89FA295

1989-09-02 · MAR VISTA, California, United States · Serious · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Current FAA registration · N51MR

Make / Model
NORTH AMERICAN/AERO CLASSICS P-51D
Year of manufacture
1944 · 45 years old at event
Engine
PKRD-ROLL V1650 SERIES (1490 hp)
Seats / Engines
1 seats · 1 engine
Last airworthiness date
19610908
ADS-B equipped
Yes — Mode-S A66039

Source: FAA Aircraft Registry (releasable master file).

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

THE PILOT'S POOR IN-FLIGHT PLANNING IN ATTEMPTING TO IMMEDIATELY RETURN TO THE AIRPORT AND NOT FOLLOWING ESTABLISHED PROCEDURES AFTER THE LOSS OF POWER AFTER TAKEOFF. THE FAILURE OF AN INTAKE VALVE WAS A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT.

Factual narrative

THE ENGINE'S NUMBER 5 INTAKE VALVE SEAT BACKED OUT OF THE HEAD IMMEDIATELY AFTER TAKEOFF, RESULTING IN THE LOSS OF POWER OF 3 CYLINDERS. THE PILOT ENTERED A TURN TO RETURN TO THE RUNWAY. THE AIRCRAFT STALLED AND COLLIDED WITH A RESIDENCE. THE AIRCRAFT FLIGHT MANUAL RECOMMENDED A STRAIGHT AHEAD FLIGHT PATH IN THE EVENT OF A POWER LOSS. THE REMAINING 9 CYLINDERS WERE PRODUCING SUFFICIENT POWER TO ENABLE THE AIRCRAFT TO SLOWLY CLIMB ON A STRAIGHT AHEAD FLIGHT PATH. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database (Pre-2008 Archive) Retrieved: 2026-02-12

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_1989_LAX89FA295.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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