P-51 crash at Reno air races Friday sept 16 2011 - with NTSB crash reports etc in pinned comment.

I find this kind of upsetting and distressing...... Like it's NOT funny..

However - if you turn up the sound - on a good system with lots of bass, that "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa PAFFF!" impact sound is a really incredible sound with enormous amounts of data in it.

The general WW2 + specifications were that it had a top speed of 440 mph (710 km/h, 383 kn) - yet this one was modified for racing and was doing 530 mph ( 853 Kmh, 430 Knots ) .

At or around the time of the crash, the pilot wasn't visible through the canopy - there are photographs - and the trim tab had broken loose ------ there is a whole heap of reseach from the crash investigation, and real and probable and other contributing factors....

It's ages since I have read the reports.....

And it's all around tragic - and it's upsetting....

But that crash - what a sound........... "Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa PAFFF!"

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/....North_American_P-51_

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/....2011_Reno_Air_Races_

https://i.ytimg.com/vi/HdB3UfVrhm0/hqdefault.jpg

https://i.pinimg.com/originals..../fe/ca/9e/feca9eeea7

https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna48801527

https://www.ntsb.gov/investiga....tions/AccidentReport


The NTSB thoroughly investigated the extensive modifications made to the airplane. The modifications had made the aircraft lighter and reduced drag but decreased stability. Leeward took the plane to 530 mph (460 kn; 850 km/h) during the race, about 40 mph (35 kn; 64 km/h) faster than he had gone previously.[20] There was evidence of extreme stress on the airframe demonstrated by buckling of the fuselage aft of the wing and gaps appearing between the fuselage and the canopy during the flight (visible in high-resolution photographs taken by spectators).

The investigation report, released in August 2012, found that the probable cause of the crash was reused single-use locknuts in the left elevator trim tab system that loosened. This led to a fatigue crack in an attachment screw and allowed the trim tab to flutter. This flutter caused the trim tab link assembly to fail, which led to the loss of control of the aircraft. Untested and undocumented modifications to the airplane contributed to the accident. Particularly, the right trim tab had been fixed in place. Had both trim tabs been operational, the loss of the left trim tab alone may not have caused the loss of control. When the trim tab failed, Leeward experienced 17 g, which quickly incapacitated him and likely rendered him unconscious.[21][22]

In 2012, the NTSB released seven safety recommendations to be applied to future air races. These included course design and layout further away from the spectators stands, pre-race inspections, airworthiness of aircraft modifications, Federal Aviation Administration guidance, pilot g-force awareness, and ramp safety.[23]