First. Read Don's posting close. He was checking out in the '51 and
this was his first flight in it.

From the statement that he proporsed, I suggest he was trying to make
a wheel landing. Two of the sister Squadron in my Fighter Group made
wheel landings and they had a number of botched landings trying to
wheel it on. Several ended up going in inverted due to trying to go
around with full power and couldn't control the torque. If you tried
to 'stick' it on with forward pressure of stick you also ran into the
possibility of hitting the prop. Once you bounced it was take it
around or you would porpose.

My Squadron always made three point landings and we had a lesser
landing accident rate then the other two Squadrons combined.

I made a few wheel landings and it took much more technique to get the
bird down in one piece.

I, of course, send condolences to the family and friends.

Big John
*******************************************

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:30:16 -0700, Don Tuite
wrote:

On Mon, 16 Jul 2007 15:18:43 -0700, "Tri-Pacer"
wrote:

An old friend sent me a photo of a P-51 upside down next to the runway at
Camarillo Airport in California. I guess it happened within the last couple
of days or so.

Does anyone have an update on this?

Paul Anton
N1431A
KPLU

Via ANN:

New Pilot Lost InTakeoff And Landing Drills

ANN REALTIME UPDATE 07.16.07 1720 EDT: Officials have released the
name of the pilot of a P-51D Mustang who died in a Sunday morning
accident at Camarillo Airport.

John McKittrick, 42, was on his first solo flight in the airplane when
it crashed at 0815 PDT Sunday morning. It is unclear whether the
flight was McKittrick's first-ever solo.

Eyewitnesses tell ANN the accident occurred during the first landing
attempt, when the aircraft began porposing on landing, and the pilot
tried to stop the plane before running off the runway.

FAA spokesman Mike Fergus told the Fresno Bee the McKittrick's flight
instructor "told the tower that the student pilot was going to make
patterns" before the accident.

The accident occurred Sunday morning at 0820 local time.

IDENTIFICATION
Regis#: 51TK Make/Model: P51 Description: P-51, F-51,
A-36 Mustang
Date: 07/15/2007 Time: 1505

Event Type: Accident Highest Injury: Fatal Mid Air: N
Missing: N
Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
City: CAMARILLO State: CA Country: US

DESCRIPTION
AIRCRAFT ON LANDING, CRASHED AND CAME TO REST INVERTED, THE ONE
PERSON ON
BOARD WAS FATALLY INJURED, CAMARILLO, CA

INJURY DATA Total Fatal: 1
# Crew: 1 Fat: 1 Ser: 0 Min: 0
Unk:
# Pass: 0 Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0
Unk:
# Grnd: Fat: 0 Ser: 0 Min: 0
Unk:

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA
Activity: Training Phase: Landing Operation: OTHER


FAA FSDO: VAN NUYS, CA (WP01) Entry date:
07/16/2007

Don