NTSB Factual Report

On August 24, 1997, about 1126 eastern daylight time, a Jurka P51D Mustang, N151MS, collided with the ground shortly after takeoff at the Fort Pierce- St. Lucie County Airport, Fort Pierce, Florida. The airplane was operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 CFR Part 91, and visual flight rules. Visual meteorological conditions existed, and no flight plan was filed for the local, personal flight. The commercial pilot, the sole occupant, sustained fatal injuries, and the airplane was destroyed.

A witness stated that the airplane took off from runway 32 and climbed to about 500 feet above ground level (agl) and then the engine stopped. He said the airplane banked left in a nose-high attitude, and then nosed over, spiraling half a turn into the ground.

Another witness stated he saw the airplane's left wing dip,and the airplane headed for the ground. He believed there was "no actual spin involved, just a direct plummet". He stated the nose and left wing seemed to strike the ground simultaneously.

The pilot held a commercial pilot certificate with single engine, multiengine, and instrument airplane ratings. His certificate was issued October 1, 1985. His last medical certificate, a third class, was issued June 21, 1996. It held the limitation that the pilot must wear corrective lenses in order to exercise the privileges of the airman's certificate. The pilot was current at the time of the accident.

The airplane was assembled and inspected October 20, 1983. The most recent inspection, an annual was completed January 1, 1997, with no discrepancies noted. According to the aircraft logbook, the airplane had a total time of 439 hours. The engine also had an annual inspection completed January 1, 1997, with no discrepancies noted.

According to the FAA inspector at the scene, the wreckage was located in a level grassy area. Both the left and right wings separated from the fuselage. The engine crank case was crushed. The three bladed propeller was damaged. Two blades remained attached to the hub, and one blade was separated. The tail section of the airplane was broken, but still attached to the fuselage, approximately 1 foot forward of the junction of the fuselage and the tail section. All of the tail control surfaces were able to be moved using the cockpit controls. Inside the cockpit, the ignition switch was in the "both" position, the fuel selector was on the main tank, and the master switch was on.

According to an employee on the airfield, the pilot had just purchased 42.91 gallons of 100 Octane aviation fuel.

The engine was examined further by Textron Lycoming. The examination revealed that the engine driven fuel pump was able to be rotated by hand. The vacuum pump did not rotate, but several broken rotor pieces were discovered inside the unit. After removing the spinner, propeller, vacuum pump, and fuel pump, the engine rotated freely. Suction and thumb compression was confirmed on all cylinders. Continuity was confirmed to the accessory gears. The left magneto impulse coupling worked and the magneto produced a spark in all but one electrode. The right magneto rotated by hand. The servo fuel injector and the engine driven fuel pump were examined further. The servo fuel injector showed the mixture to be in the full rich position. The fuel flow was tested and determined to be properly calibrated at all settings except idle. The idle fuel flow was unable to be tested due to hardware damage. The servo was disassembled and revealed no contaminants. The fuel diaphragm stem was not damaged. The engine driven fuel pump showed neither the drive or shear shaft to be damaged. There was corrosion within the drive shaft, on one vane, and within the drive shaft housing.

A post mortem examination was performed August 25, 1997 by Frederick P. Hobin, M.D., 2500 S. 35th St., Ft. Pierce, Florida 34981. A copy of the post mortem examination was requested, but not received. A toxicology examination was performed by the FAA's Toxicological and Accident Research Laboratory. There was no carboxyhemoglobin or cyanide detected in the blood, and no ethanol detected in the urine.

NTSB Probable Cause

loss of engine power for undetermined reason(s); and failure of the pilot to maintain adequate airspeed, while starting to maneuver for an emergency landing, which resulted in loss of aircraft control (stall) and collision with terrain.