26th July 2005
Begin excert from the NTSB:
On July 26, 2005, about 1600 central daylight time, N6327T, registered as a
North American F-51D airplane, piloted by a private pilot, was destroyed on
impact with terrain while maneuvering near Malone, Wisconsin. The personal
flight was operating under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. Visual
meteorological conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. No flight
plan was on file. The pilot sustained fatal injuries. The local flight
departed from the Wittman Regional Airport (OSH), near Oshkosh, Wisconsin,
about 1525.
The airplane departed OSH with three other airplanes as a flight of four
airplanes to perform the missing man demonstration at the air show at OSH.
The accident airplane was the no. 4 airplane in the flight. According to the
lead airplane's pilot, the flight of four was holding in a V-shaped formation
on the east side of Lake Winnebago at 2,000 feet above ground level. The
flight leader asked the air show's air boss how much longer they would have
to hold before the flight's performance could start. The air boss stated it
would be about another 15 minutes. The flight leader called a formation change
to four airplanes in trail and the flight performed a ground reference maneuver
called lazy eights. During the lazy eight maneuver, the flight realized that
the no. 4 airplane was not in trail and began a search for it.
END excert from NTSB
The crash was on the other side of Lake Winnebago in a farming community. The
crash site was small. There were witnesses to the crash. It appears that the
P-51 stalled or had limited control at the top of a lazy eight. The aircraft
never finished the maneuver and then while partially inverted the aircraft
nosed down towards the ground before impact. There was no indication by
James of any trouble.
I was able to speak with Gen. Reg Urshler, who was a friend and flying in the
formation with James. Gen. Urshler had the nicest comments about him. We
lost another great man. They
had the funeral in James' town later that week. Several P-51s and other warbirds
left the Oshkosh show for the funeral. Warbirds, including several P-51s,
flew over James' funeral in his memory.
Richard James, 1938 - 2005
Blue Skies