This is a partial list of accidents and incidents involving the North American P-51 Mustang and its variants. Combat losses are not included except for a very few cases denoted by singular circumstances. Accidents involving Mustang replicas are not included unless they are faithful to the original design and/or built using original parts.
The P-51 Mustang was first flown in 1940, and it went on to become one of the most iconic USAAF fighter aircraft of World War II. The type was rendered obsolete as a fighter with the beginning of the Jet Age, but it continued to serve in the Korean War in the ground attack role. Many P-51s were sold as surplus, becoming a popular mount for air racers.
1940s
20 November 1940 The North American NA-73X (Mustang prototype), NX19998,Waag, Robert, "NA 73 – The Forgotten Mustang", Airpower, Granada Hills, California, November 1971, Volume 1, Number 2, p. 9. crashed on its fifth flight after test pilot Paul Balfour neglected to go through the takeoff and flight test procedure with designer Edgar Schmued prior to a high-speed test run, claiming "one airplane was like another." The NA-73X ran out of fuel on its third pass over Mines Field, Los Angeles, California, after Balfour forgot to put the fuel valve on "reserve". Balfour made an emergency landing in a freshly plowed field, but the landing gear dug in and the aircraft flipped over. The aircraft was not rebuilt, and a second NA-73X was used for subsequent testing.Mizrahi, Joseph V., "Airmail", Wings, Granada Hills, California, December 1985, Volume 15, Number 6, p. 5.
13 April 1944 North American P-51B-7-NA "Shangri La", , crashed after its pilot, famed ace Dominic Salvatore "Don" Gentile, buzzed the 4th Fighter Group's Debden airfield for a group of press reporters and movie cameras. Gentile misjudged his height, and as a result crashed into the rising ground. 20 July 1944 Two North American P-51C-5-NTs, and , flown by 2d Lt. John Keane "Jack" Egar and 2d Lt. James R. Cope, respectively, crashed on this date. The fighters, which were stationed at Pinellas Army Air Field, Florida, departed the airfield at 0700 hrs EWT originally for a local gunnery training mission, but instead flew to Jacksonville. At ~0745 hrs, Egar and Cope descended to an altitude of ~75 feet to buzz Egar's childhood home, which they had reportedly done before just two weeks prior. Egar's plane hit two trees and skidded across a street before hitting another tree, several houses, and a line of garages. Cope apparently took evasive action to avoid Egar's plane, but in doing so he himself hit a cluster of trees and flew into a house, resulting in one civilian fatality and a fire that destroyed the house and the house next door. Both Egar and Cope were killed, and three civilians were injured, one seriously. A commemoration of the accident was held at the crash site on 21 July 2012. 26 October 1944 A North American P-51D-15-NA, , piloted by WASP pilot Gertrude Tompkins Silver, disappeared while being ferried from Mines Field, Los Angeles, California, to Palm Springs, Florida. A massive search effort was conducted, although it was delayed several days due to a paperwork foul-up, but no trace of Silver or the aircraft were found. That day, a 12 year old Frank Jacobs stood at the end of a pier in Manhattan Beach, California, when he saw a "silver plane" spiral into the sea. Based on his report, another search for the aircraft was conducted in October 2009. Silver is currently the only missing WASP pilot.
9 December 1944 A North American P-51D-15NA, 44-15676 of the 336th AAF Base Unit at Sarasota Army Air Field, Florida, piloted by Flight Officer Herbert W. Bohn suffered an engine failure during a training mission over central Florida. The Aircraft was part of four flights of four airplanes each that took off circa 8:40 AM EST to escort six B-17s on a simulated bombing mission at 26,000 feet. When a member of one of the flights complained of altitude pains, the flight descended to 5,500 feet and turned southwest. About 10 minutes after Flight Officer Bohn switched to his right fuel tank, which had indicated full, the engine stopped without warning. Bohn throttled back and primed the engine, it ran for a few seconds and stopped again. On instructions from his flight leader, the pilot jettisoned the canopy at 3,000 feet and bailed out via the left wing, landing without injury near Sanford, Florida. The plane went down about two miles north in a swamp. No fire was observed as it went in. The Army deemed it irrecoverable, as it was too deep in a swamp. 19 January 1945 A Royal Air Force North American Mustang Mk IV, KH648, piloted by Gp. Capt. J. F. X. McKenna, crashed during a familiarization flight over Old Sarum Airfield when the cover of its ammunition box detached at high speed and caused the wing to shed. McKenna was killed in the accident. 6 May 1945 North American P-51D-5-NA "Mine 3 Express", , piloted by 1st Lt. Vincent J. Rudnick, was on a local aerobatics and training flight out of Kings Cliffe, Northamptonshire, when Rudnick lost control of the aircraft near Stoke Ferry at the top of a loop. The aircraft went into an irrecoverable spin and Rudnick bailed out before the aircraft hit the ground.McLachlan, Ian, "Found: the elusive Mustang of 20th FG", Flypast, Stamford, Lincs., UK, Number 53, December 1985, pp.38–39. September 1946 Two Mustangs, North American P-51K-10-NT, NX6611 (ex-), and North American F-6K-15-NT "Full House" ("Race 80"), NX66111 (ex-) crashed in during the Bendix Trophy air race held in Cleveland, Ohio. NX6611 was subsequently rebuilt, and is in storage with the registration N119VF as of 2012. "Full House" was rebuilt as a Cavalier Mustang, and as of 2002 flies as "Frenesi" (N357FG). 8 May 1947 A North American P-51D-30-NA, , piloted by Max J. Christensen, crashed near Cassatt, South Carolina. Firefighters and ambulances responded to the scene, but Christensen was reportedly uninjured.Associated Press, "P-51 Crashes in Kershaw County; Pilot Uninjured", The State, Columbia, South Carolina, Friday 9 May 1947, No. 20,408, p. 2-B.
September 1947 Mustangs were among the many aircraft to crash during the 1947 Thompson Trophy in Cleveland: North American A-36A "City of Lynchburg II" ("Race 15"), NX39502 (ex-), piloted by Woody Edmundson, suffered an engine explosion on the eleventh lap. Edmondson survived, but was knocked unconscious during the crash. Later rebuilt, currently on display at the National Museum of the United States Air Force as "Margie H". North American A-36A, NX4E (ex-), blew its engine in flight. Pilot bailed out uninjured. North American P-51C-5-NT "Race 34", NX4E (ex-) piloted by Jack Hardwick, suffered an engine explosion and crashed on the first lap. Hardwick was uninjured. North American P-51D "Jay Dee" ("Race 37"), N37492, piloted by Paul Penrose, suffered an oil leak and crashed on the eleventh lap, injuring Penrose. 21 November 1947 An F-51 piloted by 1st Lt. Jack C. Langston collided with a North American T-6 Texan piloted by 1st Lt. Thomas P. Demos over Williams Field, Arizona. Demos bailed out of his aircraft and was taken to a field hospital, while Langston was uninjured and managed to land his damaged aircraft on the airfield.Associated Press, "Two Escape", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, Saturday 22 November 1947, Volume 65, Number 192, page 1. 2 January 1948 A North American F-51D-25-NT, , crashed 40 miles north of Roswell, New Mexico, killing its pilot.Associated Press, "Fighter Pilot Killed", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, Saturday 3 January 1948, Volume 65, Number 234, page 2. 7 January 1948 A North American F-51D-20-NA, , piloted by Capt. Thomas F. Mantell Jr., crashed while trying to intercept what Mantell thought was a flying saucer near Franklin, Kentucky, killing Mantell. Witnesses reported that the aircraft "exploded in the air and crashed near Franklin".Associated Press, "Dies Chasing Disk", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, Friday 9 January 1948, Volume 65, Number 240, page 2. One explanation for this incident is that the object Mantell tried to intercept was a Skyhook balloon, and that an oxygen system failure caused him to lose consciousness and crash. This incident is notorious among those who study ufology. 9 April 1948 A North American F-51D-30-NA, , piloted by Capt. William Robbins, crashed at Eglin AFB, Florida, killing Robbins and ending a six-month fatality-free period at the air base.Fort Walton, Florida, "Captain Robbins Killed When P-51 Crashes in Woods", Playground News, Thursday 15 April 1948, Volume 3, Number 11, p. 1. 29 April 1948 Lt. Ralph Van Kerhove crash landed his F-51 on mud flats 20 miles west of Anchorage, Alaska. The injured Kerhove escaped from his aircraft before it exploded. He was rescued by a helicopter crew and was taken to a hospital at the nearby Fort Richardson.Associated Press, "Bullets Braved To Save Flier", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Friday 30 April 1948, Volume LIV, Number 209, page 1. 6 May 1948 Two North American F-51s went missing over Alaska. They were found two days later 90 miles north of Fairbanks, where the pilots, Lts. Grady Morris and Garnett D. Page, had crash landed. Both pilots were uninjured.United Press, "Two P-51s Found in Alaska; Pilots Safe", The Sun-Telegram, Sunday 9 May 1948, Volume I, Number 56, page 1. 13 May 1948 Two North American F-51s collided in mid-air during training exercises over Anchorage, Alaska, killing both pilots.United Press, "United Press Briefs", The Stanford Daily, Stanford University, Stanford, California, Friday 14 May 1948, Volume 113, Number 53, page 4. One body was found floating in an oil slick on the water but the other body was not immediately recovered.Associated Press, "Fighters Collide", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, Friday 14 May 1948, Volume 65, Number 366, page 2. 17 May 1948 A surplus P-51, piloted by test pilot R. S. Carter, exploded in flight over Newark, California.United Press, "Test Pilot Killed", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Tuesday 18 May 1948, Volume LIV, Number 224, page 1. 20 June 1948 A North American F-51D-20-NA, , piloted by 2nd Lt. Richard Ambrose, crashed at Gray Field, Fort Lewis, Washington after a formation flight over Gov. Mon C. Wallgren's reviewing stand during a Governor's Day review. Ambrose died in the accident.United Press, "P-51 Pilot Killed", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 21 June 1948, Volume LIV, Number 253, page 1.Associated Press, "Spokane Guard Aviator Killed", The Spokesman-Review, Spokane, Washington, Monday 21 June 1948, Volume 66, Number 38, page 1. 27 June 1948 A North American F-51, piloted by Lt. Raymond L. Mathews, collided with a Douglas B-26 Invader over Blythe, California. Mathews parachuted to safety, as did Lt. Harold A. Bowen, a member of the B-26 crew. The other three B-26 crew members, two of which were identified as 1st Lt. William E. Van Delinder and 2nd Lt. Robert Aiken, died in the accident.Associated Press, "Three in Plane Collision Killed - Two Other National Guard Men Escape", San Bernardino Daily Sun, San Bernardino, California, Monday 28 June 1948, Volume LIV, Number 259, page 1. September 1948 North American P-51B-15-NA "Air Power Is Peace Power" ("Race 13"), NX28388 (ex-), crashed during the 1948 Bendix Trophy. As of 2003, the aircraft is under restoration.
5 September 1949 North American F-6C-5-NT "Beguine" ("Race 7"), NX4845N (ex-), piloted by Bill Odom, crashed into a house during the 1949 Thompson Trophy. Odom was killed, as were two occupants of the house, Jeanne Laird and her infant son, Gregg. The accident was one of the reasons surplus aircraft did not race in the Thompson Trophy starting in 1951. 11 December 1949