North American/aero Classics P-51D — registry & accident history
Compiled from FAA & NTSB records · as of Jul 22, 2026
There are 95 North American/aero Classics P-51D airframes on record (built 1944–1993), 70 currently registered. 6 have one or more NTSB accident records (6 records total, 5 with a fatal highest-injury classification). Data as of Jul 22, 2026.
Recent North American/aero Classics P-51D accidents
The P51 pilot’s failure to see and avoid the PA46 during taxi operations.
The pilot's decision to perform a low-level maneuver at an altitude where he was unable to recover the airplane before impacting terrain.
The loss of airplane control while maneuvering at low altitude for reasons that could not be determined.
The pilot's failure to compensate for the high-performance airplane's tendency to enter a torque roll during the initial climb, which resulted in the airplane entering a torque roll and the subsequent loss of control at too low of an altitude to recover. Contributing to the pilot's failure to compensate for the airplane's tendency to enter a torque roll was his impairment from tetrahydrocannabinol.
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.
The pilot’s improper flare, resulting in a bounced landing, stall, and loss of directional control.