N656S

On January 9, 2000, at about 1224 eastern standard time, a Slater P-51, N656S, registered to a private owner, operating as a 14 CFR Part 91 personal flight, crashed in the vicinity of Hampstead, North Carolina. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed. The airplane was destroyed. The private pilot was fatally injured. The flight originated from Topsoil Airport (01NC) Hampstead, North Carolina, about 1 minute before the accident.

Witnesses stated the airplane was observed taking off on runway 3. The airplane became airborne about 1,000 feet down the runway. The airplane reached about 100 to 150 feet, started a slow left turn, the airplane appeared to stall, the left wing dropped down, the nose pitched down, and the airplane disappeared from view behind a tree line and crashed.

Examination of a video of the accident by the FAA revealed a normal ground roll and rotation progressed to a shallow climb out. At about 50 yards past the end of the runway and no more than 100 feet altitude it appeared the pilot may have initiated a turn to the left which quickly resulted in a spin to the left. The airplane collided with a wooded area to the left of the runway extended centerline in a nose-low attitude. The engine separated from the airframe and the debris field was consistent with a stall/spin sequence. There was evidence of fuel in both tanks. Flight control continuity was not possible due to the extent of the damage to the aircraft. For additional information see FAA Inspector Statement.

Visual inspection of the engine assembly and accessories by A&P mechanic revealed the engine was turning at high rpm at impact. For additional information see A&P mechanic statement.

Postmortem examination of the pilot was conducted by Dr. C. L. Garrett, Pathologist, Coastal Pathology Associates. P.A. Onslow Memorial Hospital, Jacksonville, North Carolina, on January 10, 2000. The cause of death was multiple deceleration injuries due to blunt trauma. Postmortem toxicology of specimens from the pilot was performed by the Toxicology Research Section, Federal Aviation Administration, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. These studies were negative for carbon monoxide, cyanide, ethanol and drugs.