Final Flight of the Ghost

[@kellybrowning7117]

Just took the time to watch this and it brought back alot of bittersweet memories. My family and I were sitting just a few rows behind the point of impact that day, and in retrospect, it was definately one of the hardest things I've ever had to witness. I'd never met Jimmy, but I'll forever be a fan of his legacy and the roll he played in shaping the sport of air racing. We used to travel to Reno for the air races every couple years, prior to the crash, but haven't been back since. This year is different. Being the last year it will ever be held in Reno, I couldn't let it pass without a proper goodbye, so off we go. Thanks to all the great pilots (looking at you Jimmy) and teams for a great run. It's been my honor to cheer you on for all these years.

[@clutchcrgo]

This is the absolute best air racing tape that I have ever seen, and I have looked at a few. The engine starts, the sounds of the engines running @ takeoff power: you captured it all, not to mention the exact instant at which the late Jimmy Leeward's Galloping Ghost departed controlled flight, never to return. You have a gift, Voodoo 1650, God bless you. I am sure that you have helped the NTSB immensely with their investigation. Clutch

[@FrankKingstonSmith]

I was the lead announcer for the races at Reno... have been since 2002. Steve Stavrakakis, also a fine airshow pilot, is my co-announcer and color guy for the unlimiteds. The sad event is etched into my mind for keeps. As was the incredible rescue effort which followed. A real tough afternoon.

[@davecrupel2817]

Checking in 9 years after you left this comment. Are you still the lead announcer at Reno? (Not counting covid times) And do you know if Reno will continue post-covid?

[@FrankKingstonSmith]

@@davecrupel2817 I announced one more year. Every time the heavy iron came around the pylons to our left, I ducked. I couldn't get the image of the "Ghost" coming at me the year before. Actually, I left the industry after that.

[@bigmandan4090]

@@FrankKingstonSmith I’m real sorry to hear that man, I hope you’ve found peace now, that day was tragic.

[@Arafat.Abou-Chaker]

@@FrankKingstonSmith so you are the guy who can be heard in the footage? You did an amazing job at keeping the audience from panicking!

[@jaegertiger384]

@@Arafat.Abou-Chaker May God bless him for his professionalism and commitment to the honor of a great pilot.

[@johne1031]

As an old and somewhat bold pilot told me back in the day -- flying is not inherently dangerous, but it is absolutely unforgiving.

[@Jonno2summit]

Well said.

[@ArchTeryx00]

John E It also heavily depends on the *type* of flying you're doing. Losing an elevator trim tab when you're flying a Cessna 172 in cruise is an easily recoverable event. Losing that same trim tab in a race plane, at racing speeds, instantly results in an uncontrollable aircraft. As we sadly found out.

[@huey9080]

John E UND DAS

[@stihlnz]

The original quote "Aviation in itself is not inherently dangerous. But to an even greater degree than the sea, it is terribly unforgiving of any carelessness, incapacity or neglect." - Captain A. G. Lamplugh, British Aviation Insurance Group, London. c. early 1930's.

[@gukakmakuk]

It kakes special aviation wisdom to never flirt with real danger

[@cujet]

Thanks so much for producing this and sharing it. I met Jimmy at a hangar party a few years back. One of the very best guys!

[@gunnersdoubleott]

Great respectfull video. Thank you! Unfortunately I was there and lost some family Friends as well. Forever etched in my mind. Fortunately Reno lives on.

[@davecrupel2817]

I'm so sorry about your family :( R.I.P. I hope you can still enjoy aviation after that...

[@elementxxrider]

May they rest in peace bro. Heartfelt condolences

[@tcwhite0104]

total irresponsibility on Jimmy and the crew!! You NEVER take shortcuts on aviation equipment of any part...document, document and document!! every thing...RIP Jimmy...

[@jukkatakamaa7274]

Yes very little things are very important.

[@Channel58]

Great Video, thanks for sharing. This has to be one of the best short videos showing the Reno air race. Great start up and view of all the competitors. Too bad it has to be connected to such a great tragedy. You can tell the videographer has a great love of WWII planes like most of us. Great job!

[@JB-zn1kx]

11 years ago... I was sitting in those stands. I'll Never forget the sound

[@phlodel]

When fitted with the Merlin engine, the P 51 developed a problem with overload of the tail at speeds in excess of 500 mph. Although it was known that the fuselage needed to be extended to cure this problem, the P 51D did not get this modification due to wartime demands. This problem was not addressed until the H model. This inherent problem did not cause a problem in level flight with the stock aircraft. I've got to believe that this had something to do with this accident.

[@ErikJohnston]

Awesome video Jason. Thanks for letting me use your footage for our tribute video Im working on. Can't wait to meet you sometime.

[@AReallyBuffLlama]

Absolutely gorgeous. Me and my dad went down to the valley of speed at Reno in 2010, and watched Ghost in action. She was such a beautiful plane.

[@themomentchannel3498]

and a flying time bomb, it was a matter of time before the elevator trim tab failed since the plane used old counterfeit parts and was not properly maintained.

[@PhlyDaily]

nice thanks for the comment and thanks for the support

[@DriverTheIntern]

Hey Phly, I love your content and i watch you every day on my other account.I know you know alot about planes so what was the plane next to voodoo and next to the ghost? 2:25 I think its a bearcat or a LA-5.

[@JL-vx9ri]

yo wow this is old

[@johnwkindig1613]

Guess we found out what Phly was doing 7 years ago...

[@cpt.squiggly8004]

Damn, 7 years ago.

[@ericv8319]

If you didn't see it, watch the elevator trim tab depart the aircraft at minute 8:58 in the footage.

[@Wizzler2112]

His age had nothing to do with the incident as well as the overall age of the aircraft. As far as not telling the FAA about modifications the only modification he notified them off was the boil off cooling system to which the FAA recommended 3 hours of flight testing to which were never completed. As far as the trim tab, they were using were self locking fiber nuts which are to only to be only used one time. Upon examination the NTSB found yellow paint underneath the top layer of paint on the lock nut. The aircraft at one point had been painted yellow but that was around 20+ years prior. In fact, the crew of galloping ghost even told the NTSB that they had to tighten the lock nuts on the ghost prior to going to Reno, evidence that this was a problem before they even got there. Yes, when you go to a race whether air racing or auto, you assume a risk. But is it out of line to assume that the competitors and the governing body of those machines have done everything they can to ensure that proper maintenance has been achieved? To me it's not out of line. This absolutely could have been avoided had the right technical oversight and practices been put into place before Race 177 even was permitted to take off that Sunday. Personally in my opinion this is negligence to the tenth degree. Never mind that the fuselage was wrinkling and their was a sizable gap between the windscreen a canopy as Leeward pushed the aircraft faster than it had ever went. If you take off in a Cessna 172 with full fuel and a full passenger load of 3 other dudes who weigh 220 pounds a piece and you snap the wings off would you still just say, "well aviation is dangerous!" Everyone here playing armchair A&P or NTSB investigators need to stfu. Read or watch the NTSB report. The people that investigated this incident have more degrees and more knowledge in engineering than 99.9 percent of you. Shit, even Avweb's Paul Bertorelli said the NTSB got it right. www.avweb.com/blogs/insider/AVwebInsider_GallopingGhost_207267-1.html Personally I can't help but get extremely pissed off when I see people stick up for that team. Jimmy Leeward was a fucking cowboy and the amount of negligence that went on is disturbing. Take the time and watch or read the official report here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/e37QmYKhjbZ1ZtU www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Pages/AAB1201.aspx

[@casey19660]

Fact is who gives a shit what you think fucknut.

[@alancoles3373]

@@casey19660- à

[@alancoles3373]

@@casey19660

[@privatepilot4064]

You can actually see the trim tab separating during the climb. Legendary machines flown by legendary pilots.

[@Sumtoshi]

I was here when this happened. I was sitting right where the plane went in and all of my neighboring spectators were killed. For some reason got out of my seat 3:45 before the crash and filmed the race, and jimmies rapid climb/fall into seats. Very emotional day and I became close with the FAA folks there afterward. Hope you can keep what's important in focus in this forum.

[@ralphj.cuevas6523]

Air Show Spectators: My condolences, Also go to the Families and Friends of the spectators watching the show.

[@Astinsan]

Sorry you had to be part of it. I don’t agree with the faa and NTSB findings Though. I do place the majority of the blame on the company putting on the race. All of the planes were modified. On a auto race track you have to pass technical (or be teched ) it appears there wasn’t a real technician on site with proper agreed upon specifications for each aircraft with an FAA sign off. Since this race has been going on since the 60’s the FAA was on notice so the other part of the blame should be on them. I don’t fault to pilot at all as he was forthcoming prior to death about modifications done to the aircraft. This is what happens if you are complacent. Peoples lives are at risk. It’s extremely sad. You can see the pilot tried regain control when that rear elevator broke off. Really horrific scene.

[@Dartman6]

Pilot Jimmy Leeward was knocked unconscious at the time of upset and 17G load. It was impossible for him to "try to regain control" when the elevator trim tab broke off.

[@DoctorShocktor]

Jason Brooks Yeah. Your opinion is meaningless and your conclusions are wrong. Thank God we’ve got professionals to evaluate these situations. You are laughably mistaken on every point.

[@utube321piotr]

@@Astinsan the pilot in this tragedy was more focused on speed than on the common sense safety to say the least; you seem to think as if the owner/pilot was unaware of the ultra high performance character of his aircraft and put blame on organizers; he cut all 4 wings to gain speed, put lots of money and effort yet failed to address the rudimentary basics

[@BE36pilot]

With the initial pull-up(11G) exceeding the tail wheel down lock limits of 8.5G followed by an over 25G pitch the failure of seat or aft tank attachments used for coolant would be logical. I understand that in cockpit video shows Jimmy unconscious slumped down in the corner of the cockpit. The current thinking is that the root cause CG related not the trim tab failure. Jimmy was very experienced long time race pilot & QB, everyone I talked to thought very highly of him. RIP Jimmy

[@19sloper]

Voodoo, my compliments on an excellent video. And my appreciation for you sharing it. You did a fine job of camerawork, editing, and presentation with feeling. The Ghost was so beautiful, sleek, and sexy, even in its plain paint. I loved the concept and the approach Jimmy came up with to go fast. The challenge he threw down to his friends at Strega would have been an adventure to watch. It is all very sad, and somehow inspiring at the same time. I'll be back next year.

[@PhlyDaily]

Love that last line in your comment

[@Predator-yc5up]

I seem to be the first one to have recognized you here.

[@69burns94]

We need a P-51 tribute Phly.. I think you are just the man to do this

[@DriverTheIntern]

Jeez you were a smaller KZbin when you posted this, also a colab with Bo Time Gaming would help with veiws

[@Hallands.]

The NTSB investigation report, released in August 2012, found that the *probable cause of the crash were 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 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 loss of control.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+Hallands Menved Correct on all comments. Gotta wonder if the starbord trim tab had been operational, recovery may have been possible.

[@Hallands.]

FiveCentsPlease NTSB said "perhaps it would have been" and tightened the maintenance controls on show planes...

[@FiveCentsPlease]

@@Hallands. The FAA also told all Mustang owners that they are no longer compliant until those lock nuts and trim parts were replaced immediately.

[@deanwoolston4794]

I totally agree.

[@Voodoo1650]

These are highly modified P-51's, plus a few other makes as well.

[@christopherdoff-sotta4441]

Just out of curiosity how many g's are you pulling on that downward leg

[@FiveCentsPlease]

True if the NTSB had concluded that the modifications caused the crash but they didn't The accident happened because of worn original fiber lock spline nuts on the elevator trim tab hinge attachments, leading to a flutter condition and loss of the trim tab linkages and rapid loss of control. In short, it was old fiber lock nuts and there is now a service bulletin for all P-51 aircraft to inspect the lock nuts and replace with newer nylon lock spline nuts.

[@joelallen9040]

Thank you for the wonderful tribute, and not showing the crash and aftermath. Was very close to the crash site and the scenes still bother me.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

The plane was modified with a "boil off" cooling system, with the radiator submerged in a water/alcohol mixture that's also used for the ADI system. You can see steam venting in some videos. One wing fuel tank was ADI fluid and the other wing tank was racing avgas.

[@BE36pilot]

@CHUCKLOVES1969 An old friend, a former long time head of the Competition Committee said Jimmy was universally well thought of as an experienced unlimited racer and had been for the almost 30 years he had known him. The VP of the Unlimited Racing Class and head of the Safety Committee believes the cause of the crash was possibly due to The Galloping Ghost having a CG too close to the aft limit which resulted in pitch instability. They were using a tank in the aft tank position for coolant

[@kiwicory100]

I’ve been to a lot of air shows and air races over the years and have personally been close to many a mishap and had met many of the pilots, performers, and ground crew. This tribute was a fitting testament to the golden days of the Reno Air Races. I don’t know what comes next for the races as a whole, but blessings and prayers to a truly sterling group of aviation enthusiasts! ❤❤❤

[@sgtgrash]

I noted that the wingtips of the Ghost were severely clipped, something that was performed on some models of the Spitfire during WWII to increase roll rate. Aerodynamically, could this have been a contributory factor for the Ghost going into a high speed stall? An incredible video Voodoo and so very sensitively produced. My sympathies go out to Jimmy's family, friends and to those families of the spectators who paid the ultimate admission fee to watch this amazing sport. God bless you all...

[@DriverTheIntern]

It was to reduce drag i believe and very dangerous giving it less lift

[@Voodoo1650]

Well if you actually watch the video past 50 seconds you will see that the music was only a filler before the engines started.Thanks for checking the video out anyways.

[@bonnydonny]

@BE36pilot I wonder if the aft tank or pilot seat attachment failed? This video shows the tail wheel extending rapidly at the moment of loss of control, and we know Jimmy's head was not visible in many photos, possibly also this video right after loss of control. Sudden change of CG when the internal structure somehow failed, suddenly dumping the pilot down out of sight?

[@jrcadet4]

Painful to watch, but everyone who knows or cares about Unlimited air-racing wants to know what happened. Thanks for posting this.

[@TacticalOni]

@dirac33 Little things break. Apparently its down to the trim tab. It's happened before and the pilot survived. unfortunately this time the scenario didn't play out that way. It doesn't matter whether or not it was outside it's envelope. The Galloping Ghost was professionally modified, and it was built to take the stresses of air racing. The aeros weren't trashed, most of these planes share the same attributes. It comes back to what I said before. little things break. RIP Jimmy

[@BBWanna12]

Thanx Voodoo. It was a terribly sad day for all of us who know and love these races. Never missed one in the 14 years we lived there and probably would have died that day had we still since that is where are box seats usually were. God Bless Jimmy and his family and no comments from you who know nothing about the Air Races. As with ANY other motor sport there is danger for the pilot/driver and the attandees. The back of every ticket has a disclaimer and ppl who go should be aware of dangers.

[@Voodoo1650]

@chimandude Hi chimandude, that would be Hans Olson and the song is "Western Winds" you can find his songs and CD's on Amazon. Glad you enjoyed the video

[@aliensandscience]

8:58 you can see the trim tab breaks off after the steep climb

[@sheldonholy]

8:58 clearly depicts the elevator trim tab breaking and departing the aircraft. This could indeed be why the strong g-forces were present that prevented Mr. Leeward's head from raising into the canopy.

[@08jag81]

and the WWII P-51 did actually have a slight amount of jet thrust, some variants used a new radiator design that exploited the "Meredith Effect", in which heated air exited the radiator at a higher speed and was ducted out the back of the lower air inlet scoop.

[@195511SM]

I was out there the day before ( the only day the Thunderbirds were scheduled to perform...) and had planned to return on Sunday for the finals. Condolances to Jimmy Leeward, his extended air racing Family & all of the fans. May the Reno Air Racing tradition live on. I can't wait!

[@737driver]

For those who are interested, at 8:58 exact you can see the trim tab break from the elevator. God bless his soul and God bless you all. Cheers

[@natejohnston480]

I feel bad for the guy in the beginning cheering for Jimmy... RIP Jimmy

[@jaegertiger384]

If you look at the aircraft a LOT of the wings' surface area was removed - the flaps are virtually at the tips of the wings.. In conjunction with other modifications, I expect it created the "perfect storm". Thereby, leading to composite factors of failure. When trying to squeeze out maximum speed at the cost of control surfaces, then a bad outcome is much more likely to occur.

[@sanfranciscobay]

Is the canopy on Strega and Voodoo and the way it moves backward and forward identical, or do they just look similar in design from a distance?

[@johncrazycat]

this is the best video footage that i have seen before the crash. RIP Jimmy and all those who passed. certainly the trim tab was to blame after watching this peice. thanks

[@jimstand]

No, jimmy was to blame for not maintaining his plane.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

No, he passed out from G-forces when the plane lost control. The G-loading calculations, photo and video analysis of control inputs, as well as details of the control surface failure are all summarized in the NTSB reports.

[@airspeedmike]

Very tastefully and respectfully done. A nice tribute to Jimmy as well. Cheers!

[@MachTucker737]

by any chance do you know if the 'original' is a normal 'piston aircraft? I've seen some recently and they were turbine. This is one of my favorites. I should know more about it.

[@rampking1]

The Spirit of Jimmy Leeward, the lost and injured fans and the Galloping Ghost P-51 will be with us forever and so will Unlimited Air Racing at Reno. Calm wind and Blue skies forever to all who were lost .

[@brucemckelvy9920]

I was there that day and will never forget it. Was on a motorcycle trip to all the lower 48 states and came the Catholic Church just outside the airport.

[@StayUpStrack]

So sad.. It's clear there's an awful lot going wrong at the same time and from the point roll right it seems Jimmy was working hard to bring things back under control. Thanks for posting. Much respect to Jimmy, all who lost their lives, AND all those that have been hurt in this terrible accident.

[@raymondanderson751]

With the amount if g-force he experienced at the moment the airplane pitched up he was probably unconscious almost instantly when it pitched up and was probably unconscious through the whole accident, never even knew it happened.

[@benjaminnielsen4288]

That was a very appropriate ending. Thank You. What a tragic day that was.... God Bless

[@corvette724]

At 8:55 you see the trim tab falling/rupting off. The initial case for the crash. RIP

[@pilotactor777]

8:59. Yup

[@learningtocrash4030]

The actual failure happens at 8:08. You can tell the left trim tab breaks because the plane banks slightly to the left, because it lost the upward force on the left elevator.

[@polaris92220]

I believe that was one of the "trim tabs" on the left elevator. I saw it in slow mo too, hanging by one end for a while and then finally being ripped clean off. I don't think it would have turned out different with anyone else in the cockpit.

[@jimstand]

No one else did the stupid things that Jimmy did.

[@ppk62fla]

Jimmy's race plane was subject to a severe wake vortex event and sadly when Jimmy corrected the movement of the Galloping Ghost it was so quick and violent that he passed out the NTSB assessment of the accident mentioned that wake vortex was perhaps one of the likely causes I noticed the flags and pennants were flying straight out meaning prevailing winds were quite strong which also added to the severity of the wake vortex event My Deepest Sympathy to those killed and injured and the families and friends affected by this tragic accident.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+ppk62fla The NTSB report says that a wake vortex was inconclusive (Aircraft Performance Study, Page 19.) Using GPS data from Galloping Ghost and Voodoo, the NTSB performed two estimations of the wake from Voodoo, allowing for wind drift, and both estimations did not align with the flight path of Galloping Ghost. They did qualify those estimates that there could be variances in the GPS data from Voodoo. Both wind gust and mach buffet were ruled out as the initial causes of the loss of control. The initial failure of the trim tab control rods was the most likely scenario.

[@d.j.fearlessiam8125]

ppk62fla perhaps is assuming...Even the Board can't put a finger to EXACTLY what happened... Racing Aircraft is Dangerous! If it would of been another plane... same thing,Loss of Life... Aircraft crash,We don't want them to...but they do. The one thing People are leaving out is the part of the report that said the course setup put spectators to close to the RACE...R.I.P. All involved

[@Bushwhacker-mb3uh]

Shame on all of you here singing this old man’s praises. Regardless of what kind of gentleman he may have been in life, he was selfish, negligent, and borderline criminal in the manner he modified his plane and concealed the modifications to avoid accountability. He was no hero. He was pulling 17+ G’s and was out like a light before that plane became a missile that stole 10 lives that day. He took advantage of the trust of the racing governing body, his peers, and tragically the fans that he killed attempting to gain an advantage in this race. He cheated the race but didn’t cheat the grave consequences for his irresponsible actions. It’s a shame 10 innocent people had to go with him. He was unconscious before that plane hit the crowd closest to the runway. He was no hero and he didn’t save any lives by making any alleged adjustments to avoid the stands and killing even more people. He was out like a light when he hit that crowd.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+Daniel Maddox The plane was assembled by a team of people, so there was decision made during the construction process to use the old flight control parts which failed--and that choice could have been made by one or multiple people. It may be that the pilot was a casualty of that decision process. Ultimately, more flight testing should have been performed before race day and there is a lot of blame to share for that too, including the pilot/owner.

[@catscanhavelittleasalami]

you are a bad person

[@Voodoo1650]

Hi MarceloSabat, That would be Hans Olson and the song is "Western Winds" you can find his songs and CD's on Amazon.

[@JeffreyHarthSailing]

The NTSB determined that the failure of the left elevator trim tab led to a 17G nose-up moment that incapacitated the pilot and led to the crash. However, from this video it looks to me like the aircraft was already in the uncontrolled pitch-up when the trim tab separated from the aircraft well into crash sequence.

[@svyt]

Read the NTSB report in detail. The failure of the trim tab was a separate event from its later separation from the aircraft. When it first failed, it was still attached to the aircraft, but its link mechanism buckled. That initial failure caused it to cease performing its aerodynamic function properly, which is what initiated the loss of control and the high-G pull up. Subsequent forces ultimately separated it from the aircraft, but the initial failure was not the same thing as the moment it can be seen separating and flying off.

[@themomentchannel3498]

you can see the elevator trim tab separating at 8:58

[@FiveCentsPlease]

The aircraft pitched up violently, not down. The trim tab failure was flutter from the loss of the control linkages.

[@g550doc]

No, all of these planes are running piston powered engines. Be them the V12 merlins of the p51's, or radials in the others, there are no turbines in these planes. PURE POWER

[@Alantheleopard]

I know that, talking on The Galloping Ghost´s crash, everything happened so quick that probably there was no time for anybody to react, but if these aircraft have radios to contact with their ground crews, I wonder whether investigators ever interviewed the ground crew and noticed anything strange in their conversation with their pilot (if there was time for any conversation at all). RIP Jimmy Leeward and all spectators on the ground who are not now among us... Poor them all indeed...

[@FiveCentsPlease]

The AMA examiner cleared him to fly and the crash was not caused by the age of the pilot. Also, there are pilots older the 74 who fly.

[@mbrazile1]

What a shame that the relic airplane was so recklessly looked after. And obliterated.

[@crissignori7482]

Planes are lovely but the lost loved ones is another and far important matter I would say.

[@markjessurun1294]

THANK YOU JIMMY for your excellent performance, i didn't know U however HANS OLSEN made me CRY for You !! HAVE A NICE FLIGHT AND GOD BLESS U !!!

[@jimstand]

Jimmy was a first class jerk. He lied about his age. He shouldn't have been flying. Unfortunately 10 people paid the price.

[@markjessurun1294]

@@jimstand aint we all Assholes, Sometimes?? Give the man the Benefit of the Doubt he tried he died that some more people died that's called Destiny !! Life is short !!

[@jimstand]

@@markjessurun1294 You are beyond stupid. I have never killed anyone.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

With the exception of engine cores and a few castings, the Mustangs can be built from new structure parts that are being made to support the demand for parts for flying P-51s. Some of the other racer types have retired back to stock military condition because they are more valuable to the collector market as a historical original than as a modified racer.

[@johnbuffaloe9160]

Beautifully done. Thank you.

[@Voodoo1650]

@clutchcrgo Thanks Clutch, very much appreciated!!! You're correct, I have been in contact with the NTSB and have given them all the footage I shot of the plane from this year.

[@Voodoo1650]

Hi HHacker1959, that would be Hans Olson and the song is "Western Winds" you can find his songs and CD's on Amazon.

[@Ken-ks7wz]

I am returning to watch the race for the first time since 2011. Yes, the bolts should have been replaced, but I have watched P-51s (plural) at higher speeds than this coming out of a dive at transonic speed with the CAF. Tail flutter due to transonic turbulence over the tail surface caused the trim tab to break loose sending Jimmy into a steep climb. This is not the first time it has happened, but I pray it is the last. I still contend that all unlimiteds that can exceed 500mph in level flight should be retrofitted with a flying tail, as was done with the F-86 in Korea to fix the same problem. No, I'm not an expert, but know which experts to listen to. BTW, Jimmy did not turn that plane at the last second. That plane changed its angle on its own before impact. That is the only evidence that we have. From my angle in the stands, it went slightly behind the stands at its apex. Hearrt attack? Ridiculous. I watched old Grumpy take an A-20 in in Harlingen (back in the day) from a heart attack. He managed to miss everything and everyone as he went in by pulling up on the stick.

[@jackhammer5468]

ken... since you too have seen these races let me run by you the idea i've had since very first seeing the piece come off. you can probably confirm what I've said before about what the first thing when racers at low altitude think the have a problem. I've seen it many times and heard pilots, including my dad, a hellcat through skyraider carrier pilot, talk about it. the first thing you do, especially laid over at 90 degrees in a turn is to pitch the plane up and trade speed for altitude. in an emergency what you need more than anything is altitude. altitude gives you time to figure out what to do the trading of speed for altitude slows you down where you need to be to quickly put it on the deck. what I saw was a little twitch beyond 90 degrees an instant before he pitched up. i think that freaked him, and rightfully so, and he yanked the stick back to, as I said, trade speed for altitude. as a 64 year old man, i know sometimes just standing up after being bent over working can make me dizzy. I know what's causing it, arteries are less flexible as you age, so i can only imagine what's it's like to be even older than i am and pitch up into a max climb. the put it in the climb, it blacked him out. i've always had a problem with the idea that, even at those speeds, that a trim tab could cause such a sharp reaction when it takes large movements of the larger surfaces of the elevators to shove the tail down. he was in the turn banked 90 degrees left when the tab broke making it rotate beyond 90 (which heads you to the ground btw), it rightfully startled him making him yank the stick first to the right then back hard. the rest was human physiology.

[@Ken-ks7wz]

***** You are right about trading altitude for speed, and that is exactly what is done on a "Mayday" multiple times in the course of these races. Your theory is valid, but I can't see an experienced pilot yanking a sti ck in any direction at high speed. I'll stick with what is not simply my theory , but that of experienced pilots with whom I have talked and the fact that this has happened previously with the pilot regaining consciousness at about 10,000 feet.

[@svyt]

***** In a situation like this, the aircraft has a lot of kinetic energy (energy of motion, i.e. speed) that is available to convert into potential energy (altitude), and pilots do exactly that all the time if something goes wrong in a race. However, an experienced pilot (as apparently he was) wouldn't "jerk" the stick back, because of the very thing that happened in this accident: you'd have a high-G situation, possibly damaging the plane and blacking yourself out. You don't lose your kinetic energy that fast, so while a low, fast emergency does call for you to climb and get some lifesaving altitude beneath you, there's no need to "jerk" the stick back instantly into a hard 10+g climb. That wouldn't be the instinct of an experienced pilot. Have you reviewed the scenario laid out in the NTSB report? Do you reject that scenario for some reason? Ken's point seems valid, and applies to me as well: No, I'm not an expert, but know which experts to listen to.

[@jackhammer5468]

svyt you're fixating to much on my word "yanked". he pitched the plane upward to trade speed for altitude. being 64 myself, and as pretty much anybody that age can tell you, the first time you stand up after sitting watching tv for a long time and you get dizzy it freaks you out. your arteries aren't as flexible and reactive as they are when you are young and it's harder to keep your blood in your brain. the AVERAGE age of fighter pilots in WWII was around 22 years old. that was no accident. it's also no accident that NTSB recommended "providing race pilots with high-G training and evaluating the feasibility of G-suit requirements for race pilots" in their report on this tragedy.

[@Ken-ks7wz]

***** Most of the finest pilots that I have known and watched were over 65 before they quit flying. Lefty was well over 70, as was Lloyd, Bob Hoover. and Milt Herradence, to name a few. BTW, the young pilots of WWII had plenty of accidents in training and otherwise. In any case, your scenario is plausible, but I'll stick witth the FAA analysis, which is consistent with a couple of veteran pilots' analysis I talked to shortly after the accident.

[@Boredout454]

Im a drag racer and for years Ive said it should be up to the driver to determine what is safe enough for him, if he wants to run Nitro and no roll bar or run a 1960's style front engine nitro dragster with no modern safety well thats his life and his decision and its the guy next to him (the other racer on the drag strip) to wait and let him race by himself or race with him and say its safe enough. This brings down the cost of drag racing and allows ppl to see there designs and nostalgia dragsters run. HOWEVER with air craft its different, there are no barriers as in drag racing, there is no way to keep from plowing into a crowd of people if your decisions cost you. So when it comes to plane racing, every rule must be followed.

[@jackhammer5468]

fortunately, that ridiculous attitude isn't shared by many in drag racing. you think it's about your right to decide for yourself what is safe enough. i think if i''m in the stands the last thing in the world i want to see is your dumb terrified bloodied broken ass body gasping it's last breaths.

[@Boredout454]

More then you know. Who are you to tell me what is to dangerous for me? I can decide for myself. If I felt it was to dangerous I wouldnt race. But there is such a thing as acceptable risk, its called personal responsibility.

[@Boredout454]

***** In fact happens all the time at OutLaw tracks and yet the accidents there are just as rare, personal responsibility is a big deal and when you are in charge of your own safety, well things tend to change.

[@jackhammer5468]

no, when people force safety whether you like it or not, things tend to change. none of these teams wants to be documenting and testing all the modifications they do to these planes, or go to g-training seminars, or face more rigorous certifications, or tougher inspections. but those more interested in not watching flying body parts again will make them. if they don't want to, they can sell their planes to someone who will.

[@Boredout454]

Nope generally it happens only when someone famous dies,

[@Voodoo1650]

That's not true, all the Unlimiteds have to be certified by the FAA to even fly and then they have to pass a very thorough tech inspection at the races prior to racing.

[@joeysplats3209]

Thanks for keepin' it real, Voodoo.

[@glipaz]

At 8:56 you can see the left horiz trim tab hanging off the back of the stabilizer. At 9:00, the trim is seen falling off the back of the airplane.

[@farmer6987]

he fuck with the airframe and made unapproved modifications. A real cowboy. To bad he killed people with his arrogance.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

The thing is, the historic aircraft have become so valuable (much like the rare collector cars at concours) that they will live on reconstructed with new-build components. Wreckage will pass on to a new owner who will rebuild it with the original serial number. A number of former Reno racers have returned to original condition because they are more valuable in stock form.

[@TacticalOni]

@dirac33 I have to completely disagree. Mustangs like this is like someone taking a pontiac GTO and turning it into a Pro stock funny car. There are plenty of mustangs that still look the way they did back in 1944, and there are plenty that are sitting in hangars looking pretty. Let them race. I love these planes. Nothing sexier than a P-51 with clipped wings and an F-1 canopy.

[@davidwheatcroft2797]

While he increased the speed of the a/c, he did not increase the DOWNWARD force from the tail needed to counteract the increased negative pitching moments of the wing. Thus the elevator and trim tab were forced to do too much and they had been poorly maintained as well. CAVU skies to all fellow aviators. (ex RAFVR.)

[@FiveCentsPlease]

@ davidwhatcroft2957 The fiber locknuts that fastened the elevator trim controls were too old and would not hold, and eventually failed. The elevator trim was in flutter condition and the plane lost trim control with catastrophic results. This is all shown in the NTSB reports and laboratory analysis of the debris. The locknuts should have been replaced with modern single-use nylock equivalents that are easily available.

[@davidwheatcroft2797]

@@FiveCentsPlease All usable wings have a negative pitching moment, so the tail at the back has to push DOWN. This a/c had been modified to go much faster than originally - thus the tail was overstressed needing huge amounts of trim. PLUS, as an a/c builder myself, C-IAVW, only castle nuts on "mission critical" items like this. My plane even had a cut out so you could verify elevator 1 inch tube joining to elevator horn with castle nut/safety wire. Flying unforgiving. Wisdom and caution needed. CAVU skies to you!

[@Voodoo1650]

@RFKFANTS67 here is the website for that particular SeaFury sawbonesair

[@Elementalism]

Reading the report it is interesting how a trim tab can cause this kind of destruction. When I saw the video in real time the first thing that came to my mind was snap roll. Which was a fatal issue on the P-51 during World War II that caused catastrophic results to the horizontal stabilizer

[@jackhammer5468]

BS... the failures on the airframe came from modifications and poor maintenance.

[@ne0tas]

Guys it was a mechanical failure that caused the plane to veer upward and causing the pilot to black out due to the g forces..

[@MrInc0n5picu0u5]

How do you know that? Why was he allowed to perform such stunts at the age of 75 in the first place? Especially at an airshow with such a high number of spectators. I don't care how experienced he was, for a 75 year old guy even the g-force of a fart is sometimes difficult to handle...

[@FiveCentsPlease]

MrInc0n5picu0u5 The cause of the accident was loose locknuts on the trim tab control linkages, causing flutter and separation of the trim tab and loss of control. The resulting G-forces were beyond tolerance for a pilot of any age. This is fully documented in the NTSB reports that you can read online, including lab analysis of the parts, graphs, and all of the photos you could want. The pilot was not performing stunts. This was an air race with highly modified planes where there is a level of risk. The pilot's age had absolutely nothing to do with the accident.

[@MrInc0n5picu0u5]

FiveCentsPlease Not stunts per say, but when the plane reaches speeds of 500mph with sharp turns where the wings plane is at times perpendicular to the ground that translates into huge g-forces that could cause a 75 year old man to faint even without any mechanical failure. As of all the people killed I guess it's an assumed fairly high risk even when planes are not modified due to the excessive pushing to the limits of those machines...

[@FiveCentsPlease]

MrInc0n5picu0u5 The lateral G forces in the turns are tolerable for pilots, somewhere in the 4-6 G range if I recall. The recorded G forces (from on-board telemetry in the plane) and estimated G forces from the NTSB analysis were 11G with a peak of 17G. The USAF and NASA studied this accident and concluded that G suits would not have made any difference in this high-G accident, so the Reno rules will not be changed require them. Pilots will now be required to attend training on G tolerance. A much younger pilot named Bob Hannah had a nearly identical control failure at Reno 1998 and blacked out, but the plane did not crash while he was passed out and he woke up in a high climb and recovered to land. Read about the Voodoo P-51 incident.

[@leifvejby8023]

MrInc0n5picu0u5 ne=tas probable read the same ntsb report I read. And FiceCentsPlease too!

[@mysavedvideos11]

Great video - shows what most have never seen (WWII era Radial, Merlin and a Packard engines @ start-up) including 3 P-51 Mustangs (Strega, Voodoo and the Ghost) a Gruman 8F8 Bearcat (Rare Bear) and 2 Hawker Sea Fury's at take-off and in flight. Gives a real idea of their speed. Close-up of the Ghost is really telling and shows just how close to the edge of control they fly. Plus, nice tribute to Jimmy Leward - a good man and great pilot...Godspeed JL and all the victims on the ground..

[@vanstry]

Thank you for putting up this video. I saw a similar roll of the ghost as he passed the home pylon on the previous lap. I seem to remember hearing some of the earlier racers say that the air was really rough on Friday with a lot of turbulence. I hope that they are able to figure out why this happened so it never happens again. We lost a lot of great people that day. I'll be back next year.

[@Chief6067]

Modifications were NOT reported to the FAA, this was stated in the hearing. Severely lacking in rivet and screw replacements, corrosion and severe mods.......that were beyond the planes and pilots capabilities to safely operate the aircraft to the stress levels of racing.

[@stevethomas-cc5lz]

these planes are highly maintained and handled everyday. i doubt there was any faults or corrosion anywhere. screws, nut, bolts and parts break sometimes. nothing you can do about it. and they say they are going to move the bleacher seating farther back, wont do any good. the planes can hit ground anywhere.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

No, corrosion and deterioration of flight control hardware was the EXACT cause. Nuts holding the trim tab linkages were 60+ years old from the original manufacturer, with fiber inserts that had deteriorated. The nuts would not hold the trim tab linkages, which led to a flutter condition and failure of the trim tab and loss of control. That is in the lab reports from the recovered parts and matched to high-res photos showing the trim linkages broken and moving outside of the normal range. Updated nuts with nylon inserts were available, but someone made the decision to keep the old nuts. The conclusion of the accident is that the FAA required EVERY flying P-51 to have an inspection and replace those flight controls with new components immediately because the flight controls could fail on any flight and not just a race. Old nut verses new nut: www.lancairowners.com/wp-content/uploads/NutComparison.png

[@Rob-vv5yn]

All of the WW2 era planes need lots of love and attention, just like all racing machines, constantly checking rechecking, many parts made of Aluminium will deteriorate just over time, wearing parts need changing , stress and crack testing, X-ray, original planes were only expected to last a few months before being damaged, or destroyed during the war

[@johnhardman3]

@@Rob-vv5yn Exactly right: those alloys probably deteriorate naturally over time even without flight-stress. Common sense would dictate flying such old planes with the absolute minimum of non-avoidable "G" loadings and the strictest attention to thorough by-the-book maintenance, with no "go faster" structural-changes that could take the basic airframe beyond what it was expected to tolerate.

[@Rob-vv5yn]

@johnardman3 lots of parts are tested, checked, crack tested, xrayed, ultrasonic testing, died tested. Parts replaced, usually the wings are the most common things that fatigue. You can replace most everything with new items if you have enough cash. So a well maintained P51 can be rebuilt to new and better than the factory ever built them. However I’m against racing these old fighters now as they are to rare to waste on racing.

[@Ironwench68]

The effort at streamlining for speed; modifications to the wings, cockpit and empennage were alterations made without FAA inspection and acceptance. I sure would not want to be one of the mechanics that performed these mods. Originally these warbirds were flown by military pilots who were, on average, under the age of 25. "Pappy" Boyington was given the nickname "grandpa" by his squadron mates because he was 26! Today old geezers are flying highly modified versions of these aircraft around a tight pylon course, often in close formation. It's a wonder that there are so few of these accidents. Originally the air races, Bendix, Thompson etc., provided a showcase for rapidly advancing aviation technology. This was an era when a private, four place, cabin plane like the Beech "Staggerwing" could outperform a military fighter like the P-26. Private concerns like the Granville brothers could afford to enter aircraft and engines into these competitions. Speed and endurance records were constantly being broken by non-military entries. Air racing of that era was really about the machines. WWII technology changed all that. Speed and endurance became the strict purview of the military, because only the government could afford to continue funding the rapidly advancing aviation technology at a record breaking pace. With aircraft like the SR-71 sitting in museums, what is the object of the Reno races today? To prove which geezer can put the most money and effort into beating other geezers in worn out warbirds older than the pilots? Outside massaging egos, what's the point? The only record that will stand is the one that remains after everyone else loses interest. That is the reason the Me-209 held the speed record for thirty years. After all who cared about breaking a piston engine speed record in the post war jet age? Darryl Greenamyer was a "ticket taker" who broke the piston engine speed record so he could hold a speed record once held by the Germans. He broke the German's record of 469 mph with his modified Bearcat traveling at 483.04 mph. So what was accomplished by this effort considering the "Galloping Ghost" was traveling at around 512 mph when it crashed? (One guy in another video says off camera "497 unofficial speed") The only difference between air racing and say drag racing is the amount of investment. Unsurprisingly, Greenamyer is also a drag racer. The fact is auto racing has taken much the same trajectory as air racing. The Indy, once a showcase for automotive technology, is today nothing more than a bunch of people willing to spend money to see who can beat the other guy. Predictably, few outside the racing people themselves care to know. As with other sports figures, in fifty years who will care to remember who was who in these events. As the character Frank Towns says in the movie "Flight of the Phoenix", "The little man with the slide rule is going to inherit the earth", not the guys with the largest budget to spend on their egos.

[@MarksUselessChannel]

+Arch Stanton .....yawn..... ya finished?

[@Ironwench68]

+EAGLE - About a week ago

[@MarksUselessChannel]

thank god.

[@Ironwench68]

+EAGLE - Which one?

[@MarksUselessChannel]

There is only ONE God, professor. Carry your stupid ass on down the road.

[@MrLarryC11]

re: the tail wheel - I assume that this happened as a result of 17+ g's during the pitch-up?

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+MrLarryC11 Yes. The locks holding the tail wheel won't hold at those high G-loads.

[@CalvinAirshows]

It broken a trim tab

[@FiveCentsPlease]

If the trim tab was failing, it's possible for the resulting forces to be strong enough to yank the control stick out of the pilot's hands. Perhaps he was fighting it before it pitched up.

[@DavidPT40]

What's the song at the very end of this video with harmonica?

[@Voodoo1650]

That song is Western Winds by Hans Olson

[@surfstinger1]

this guy is no hero.........he lied on apps about his age and maint. on the plane were unacceptable

[@jameswebb4593]

You are absolutely correct.Having watched the video of the inquiry, the mods carried out sacrificed the integrity of the airframe. Im not a H&S freak but some common sense and regulation are needed.

[@kurtiscravingbavaria3291]

Completely wrong he did not lie about shit. He was 74, everybody in the air race community knows this, the FAA being all high and mighty should be doing full on checks of race plane modifications to make sure the plane is ready to do 500+ miles per hour. There is some blame on Jimmy and his crew for not doing a full check of every single part on the plane, but he did not lie so get your facts straight.

[@surfstinger1]

I THINK THE RENO NTSB REPORT WILL SHOW CLEARLY KURTIS YOU KNOW NOT WHAT YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT,,,,,YOU GET YOUR FACTS STRAIGHT ,AT THIS TIME IN AIR RACING IT WAS THE TOTAL JOB OF THE CREW AND RACER TO REPORT MODS,THE RACE COMMITTEE THEN IN RESPONSE INSTRUCTED CERTAIN TEST AND HRS TO CONFIRM THAT MODS WERE ACCEPTABLE ,,,,NONE WERE DONE,NUTS WERE HAND TIGHT,AND INSPECTION SHOWED THEY HAD NOT BEEN SERVICED IN OVER 40 YRS......ONLY THE BOIL-OFF SYSTEM WAS REPORTED,AND IT WAS NEVER TESTED...HE WAS A RECKLESS RACER WHO KILLED 10 PEOPLE.....SO MAY BE YOU NEED TO READ UP ON THIS A LITTLE MORE,BECAUSE MY FACTS ARE DOCUMENTED .

[@kurtiscravingbavaria3291]

Did not lie about age at all, that's my point I agree with you that not all the mods are documented and he wasn't reckless he has been racing since the beginning and this was a mistake that shouldn't have happened especially when we have strict rules put into place by the FAA.

[@svyt]

Kurtis A Respectfully, your statement that "the FAA being all high and mighty should be doing full on checks of race plane modifications". In fact, the FAA does regulate such modifications, but the responsibility for documenting them and flight testing them falls completely and unambiguously upon the aircraft owner. From the NTSB report on the crash of Galloping Ghost, when its experimental status was applied for in 1983: _"The airplane’s operating limitations stated that, following major change to the airplane as defined by 14 CFR 21.93,39 the cognizant FAA flight standards district office (FSDO) must be notified and its response received in writing before the airplane can be flown."_ Other than notifying the FAA of a modification to the boil-off cooling system, _"There are no records that the pilot notified any FSDO of any other major modifications to the airplane."_ The responsibility falls upon the owner.

[@Voodoo1650]

@GoPro1997 It's the silver P-51, race # 177.

[@joshuaericilac]

he died doing one of the things he loved flying. he may not be around anymore but we sure do know hes watching over us

[@jsullivan05]

I sure as fuck hope not, that piece of shit is rotting in hell for murdering 10 people with his willful ignorance. There have been dozens of stories come out against this guy since this wreck about what a penny pinching piece of shit he was, he thought he knew better than the people who made the fucking thing and FAA and the NTSB. He was a fuckwad that shoulda killed himself that morning and spared 10 lives.

[@Booboobear-eo4es]

If you read the NTSB report, he broke a lot of rules and failed to do proper checkout of the aircraft, as well as neglected critical maintenance. He was willfully dilatory, careless, arrogant and stupid. He cost a lot of lives including his own. He deserves no honor or respect.

[@phlodel]

it's a shame that millions were spent on radical modifications to make this aircraft fast but failure to perform routine maintenance caused so much destruction and death. Relatively common hardware failed. These parts should have been found and replaced while the aircraft was being prepared for racing.

[@FatManDoubleZero]

I agree with you 100 percent. Why would someone with a multi-million dollar investment "skimp" on some relatively inexpensive control surface fasteners?? It makes no sense to me. If he couldn't find original replacements with the same tensile strength, he should have had the fasteners "custom manufactured" by a specialty machine shop. It would have been money well spent. Concerning the modifications you mentioned, experts with the NTSB noted, that perhaps some of the modifications made did not in fact yield any real enhancement in speed or control performance and may have instead been detrimental. The NTSB also stated that none of the major modifications to this air craft were tested and certified as being "flight worthy" by the appropriate authorities. Another careless error in judgment by the owner.

[@phlodel]

FatManDoubleZero I'd be really surprised if anything but standard lock nuts were required. Maybe the mechanic didn't take the time to acquire them and merely tightened them "until later". No excuse for that, especially on such a highly stressed machine.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

FatManDoubleZero The original spline lock nuts in the trim tab linkages were over 60 years old and had deteriorated fiber inserts. It's unfortunate that they were re-used in the rebuild. New spline nuts with nylon inserts are already available and a mandatory service to inspect and replace these components was issued for all flying P-51 aircraft in response to the accident. www.warbirds-eaa.org/news/2013%20-%2002_27%20-%20P-51%20Service%20Bulletin%20Issued.pdf

[@KutWrite]

Clicking on the link in the description to the NTSB report gives an error: "No such page."

[@Voodoo1650]

Yeah, I just checked as well, they must've shut that page down recently.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

+KutWrite The full accident docket is still available in the NTSB database. dms.ntsb.gov/pubdms/search/hitlist.cfm?docketID=51746&CFID=2476155&CFTOKEN=7889ef31662e59cf-FADFDE46-F60F-51CE-3DE182D08C5F693E

[@HHacker1959]

We lost a good friend that day. Could you tell me the name of the song that was played in the end? It was so fitting for the tribute!

[@MrInc0n5picu0u5]

Why was he allowed to perform such stunts at the age of 75 in the first place? Especially at an airshow with such a high number of spectators. I don't care how experienced he was, for a 75 year old guy even the g-force of a fart is sometimes difficult to handle...

[@PalemoonSun]

The answer is simple, really. He passed the FAA physical that all pilots are required to pass in order to maintain the pilots license. What's more, there are additional licenses and physical requirements to race at Reno. You cannot just show up and say you wanna race. By all accounts Mr. Leeward was in very good physical, and mental, shape. As far as the cause of the crash, it was not a fault with the pilot or his age. Rather, it was a component failure in the elevator trim tab system compounded by race-style modifications to the aircraft. At the moment of the snap-roll following the part failure Mr. Leeward was subjected to 17G's. Even today's military pilots in aircraft like the F-15 to F-22 would quickly blackout themselves under such g-loading even while wearing pressure suits.

[@jackhammer5468]

Traci Sun that's a pretty good description but the trim tab failure is not what made him pitch up. he was in a steep turn and the tab coming off is what makes it do that little twitch where he for a moment went beyond 90 degrees from the horizontal. he then did what any good pilot would do when having an unknown emergency while flying very fast very close to he ground. he yanked the stick back and tried to trade speed for altitude. altitude is what gives you options. altitude is what gives you moments to figure out what is wrong and what you are going to do about it. altitude is your friend at that point and you need way more of it and way less of the speed. i do believe what happened when he yanked the stick back was related to his age. i'm 63. i don't know anyone my age or older that hasn't undergone momentary dizziness JUST FROM STANDING UP TOO FAST! I am being serious. age related plaque build up in arteries is something that happens to EVERYONE. and it's not totally tied to fitness. when i first noticed it i was still criterium racing my bicycle, and training for it. when the blood started to flow out of his brain his vessels didn't have the flexibility to react the same way it does in a young person. just look at the average age of mustang pilots or hellcat pilots in wwII.

[@FiveCentsPlease]

***** The only way to fully answer this is to quote the NTSB report below. The loss of the trim tab caused a sudden and uncontrolled pitch up of the aircraft with stick forces increasing as the aircraft continued to pitch up. These stick forces were too great for the pilot to overcome and combined with sudden G-forces the pilot was out cold by then. Keep in mind that the sudden pitch up occurred in approximately 0.5 seconds according to the timeline. From pages 23-24 of the NTSB Aircraft Performance Study Effect of Trim Tab Failure on Roll and Pitch To hold the right wing down aileron input seen throughout the race, the pilot had to hold the control stick to the right of center. The loss of the trim tab effectiveness would produce a sudden and large stick force directed aft. At the sudden application of the aftward force, the pilot would lose his ability to precisely hold the stick out to the right at least temporarily resulting in the onset of the left roll transient. A change in aileron input of 3º (± 30% due to aerodynamic uncertainty) would be necessary for the aircraft to complete the roll transient motion as shown in Figure 15. It was not possible to determine if these changes were present during the roll initiation from the photographs. Since the pilot would be unable to hold the control stick as far forward as with an intact trim tab, the elevator would deflect slightly trailing edge up, which would pitch the aircraft upward and increase its angle of attack (pitch onset would be slightly later than roll onset due to the higher inertia about the pitching axis). The increased angle of attack would in turn increase the forces on the elevator surface and control stick according to F(control stick) = F(bobweight) + F(counterweight) + gGS(e)C(e) + C(δe)δe + C(hαt)αt Where F is force, q is the dynamic pressure, G is gearing, Se and Ce are the area and chord of the elevator, δe is the deflection of the elevator, αt is the angle of attack of the tail, and and are hinge moment coefficients due to αt and δe respectively. As the elevator deflection and tail angle of attack increase, so does the force required to hold the control stick in place. The pilot, already unable to hold the control stick in its original position due to the broken trim tab, would be unable to resist as the increased angle of attack of the tail induced the elevator to deflect even further trailing edge up, pushing the stick further aft. Stick force, elevator deflection, and tail angle of attack will increase together, with the stick force becoming too large to be counteracted by the pilot. The continued increase in elevator deflection with angle of attack of the tail, shown in Figure 21, is consistent with how the loss of the elevator trim tab would be expected to affect the aircraft.

[@factorypilot99]

first of all... farts don't generate g forces second of all I have a friend who I fly with who is 76 and he can do more maneuvers and handle them better than younger pilots

[@svyt]

To amplify a point from FiveCents' commentary above, it's very important to note that "the loss of the trim tab" actually happened in two parts. Part 1 is that the trim tab linkage failed while the aircraft was in its turn. This moved the trim tab far out of position (i.e. its aerodynamic effectiveness was "lost") and this event started the accident sequence, including the high-G pitch up, but at this time, the trim tab itself stayed attached to the aircraft. Soon after - Part 2 - while the aircraft was in its climb, the attachment points on the trim tab failed completely, and the trim tab itself actually separated from the aircraft, which is visible in the video. So this is why it can be confusing. People see that trim tab fly off in the video, _after_ the pitch up occurs, and they infer that *"the trim tab couldn't have caused the initial pitch up."* But the trim tab's initial failure (at its linkage) is indeed what caused the initial pitch up. The subsequent separation was just part 2 of the trim tab failure.

[@JosephWoodruff-x6s]

Voodoo1650, What’s the name of that song at the beginning?

[@Voodoo1650]

@@JosephWoodruff-x6s I can’t remember the actual song/file I used, but it was from the free Kevin Macleod section on this page incompetech.com/wordpress/

[@JosephWoodruff-x6s]

Cool, thank you. I’ll try to find it.

[@JosephWoodruff-x6s]

Ok I found it. kzbin.info/www/bejne/eqXCY3eko5WraJosi=6fEHtjwrPRPxxqQJ

[@FiveCentsPlease]

There are modern semi-scale P-51 replicas that are turbine-powered, but the originals were piston-powered aircraft.

[@mmricci2861]

that's what happens when an amateur plays aeronautical engineer and modifies a plane

[@PhlyDaily]

So he passed out in the last turn? Man I'm in no position to say this but, just pull out the turn and land. Ugh it just makes me mad that this had to happen. From a pilot to a pilot at least he died in the sky.

[@DriverTheIntern]

He passed out when the aircraft snapped up at around 20 to 28 Gs causing him to pass out and the reason it happened is because the trim was not made to stand those speeds.

[@Voodoo1650]

Actually, he was slumped forward as can be seen in the top view picture on the page I just added in the video description. You can see the back of his silver helmet down and to the right of cockpit.

[@phlodel]

I'm curious as to how these aircraft are transported to the race. Surely they are not allowed to fly in normal air traffic corridors and use public airports. Modifications made to increase high speed flight would tend to make these aircraft extremely dangerous. I am sure they don't have an STC for all the modifications.

[@SeanHollingsworth]

Odd that the last time a P-51 had this trim tab failure at the air races was with Bob 'Hurricane' Hannah flying VooDoo Chile, and it shared the sky in this race with a plane doomed not to recover from the the same failure. Very sad day.