2011 Reno Air Show Disaster - What REALLY happened

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On September 16, 2011, a highly modified North American P-51D Mustang racing aircraft, nicknamed the galloping ghost, crashed into spectators while competing at the Reno Air Races, taking the life of pilot, James "Jimmy" Leeward as well as 10 spectators.

James Leeward was in third place and had just rounded pylon number 8 when the aircraft abruptly pitched up resulting in 17g of force. This caused James to lose consciousness before nose diving towards the ground. The aircraft made an impact directly on top of the crowd at nearly 500 miles per hour. It is unknown whether James regained consciousness before the impact.

7 people, including James Leeward, perished immediately on impact, while 4 others perished later in the hospital.

After an investigation, the The National Transportation Safety Board concluded that, “the probable cause of this accident was the reduced stiffness of the elevator trim tab system that allowed aerodynamic flutter to occur at racing speeds. The reduced stiffness was a result of deteriorated locknut inserts that allowed the trim tab attachment screws to become loose and to initiate fatigue cracking in one screw sometime before the accident. Aerodynamic flutter of the trim tabs resulted in a failure of the left trim tab link assembly, elevator movement, high flight loads, and a loss of control. Contributing to the accident were the undocumented and untested major modifications to the airplane and the pilot's operation of the airplane in the unique air racing environment without adequate flight testing.”

A photograph taken just before the crash shows part of the left elevator trim tab separating from the aircraft.

Prior to the race, Leeward referred to these modifications as quote “radical”, stating that the oil system was similar to an oil cooling system in the Space Shuttle and the canopy was about the size of the ones on a Formula One aircraft. The modifications were meant to improve aerodynamics and speed by reducing drag. This resulted in a loss of stability.

In 2012, the NTSB released seven safety recommendations to be applied to future air races. These included course design and layout further away from the spectators stands, pre-race inspections, airworthiness of aircraft modifications, FAA guidance, pilot g-force awareness, and ramp safety.

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