5) BUZZING / ACRO, C-FIT

North American P-51D | N251CS

May 12th, 2026 | Tullulah, Louisiana

Accident Location

  • City: Tullulah
  • State: Louisiana
  • Latitude: 32.351731
  • Longitude: -91.029217
  • Airport ID: KTVR

Aircraft Info

  • N Number: N251CS
  • Make: North American
  • Model: P-51D
  • Aircraft Category: Aircraft Single Engine Land
  • Amateur Built: No

Pilot Info

  • PIC Name: Fordice, Daniel Kirkwood III
  • Gender: Male
  • Pilot Age: 62
  • Pilot Hours:
  • Flight School: No
  • Instructional Flight: No
  • Pilot Certification: Commercial Pilot
  • IFR Rating: Yes
  • Pilot Error: Yes
  • Pilot Medical: 2nd Class Medical
  • Pilot Incapacitation: No

Analysis

  • Date: May 12th, 2026
  • Time: 3:10 PM Local Time
  • Day / Night: Day
  • VMC / IMC: VMC
  • Phase Of Flight: Unknown
  • Total People Onboard: 1
  • PIC Fatality: 1
  • PAX Fatalities: 0
  • Ground Fatalities: 0
  • Total Fatalities: 1
  • NTSB No: CEN26FA184
  • NTSB Travel: Yes
  • AQP Classification: 5) BUZZING / ACRO, C-FIT

Probable Cause

DTSB: The DTSB determines the Probable Cause of this accident to be Pilot Error, in that the accident pilot was observed performing low level aerobatics in anticipation of an upcoming scheduled airshow appearance in the same aircraft, and did maneuver the aircraft at too low of an altitude in such a way as to cause the crash.
This excerpt from the NTSB Preliminary report: “According to witnesses, the pilot was practicing an aerobatic routine. At the conclusion of the planned maneuvers, the pilot performed an additional maneuver and the airplane impacted terrain. Witnesses reported that the engine sounded normal before they heard the sound of
impact. One witness, who was in a nearby hangar, reported seeing flying debris after he heard the sound of impact. A witness captured the accident sequence on a cellular phone video. According to a witness and the video, the airplane was seen climbing while conducting a maneuver consistent with a Split-S. While inverted, the airplane entered a dive and continued
toward the ground in a nose low attitude. The airplane started a bank to the right just before impacting terrain in a nose level, right-wing-low attitude. The engine is heard throughout the entire video up to the sound of impact.”

NTSB: NONE

Recommendation

DTSB: The DTSB recommends that all pilots of all aircraft rehearse and condition themselves to avoid low level maneuvering, and low level acrobatic flight.

NTSB: NONE

DISCLAIMER: All data and Probable Cause listings are “Probable” only. They are based on opinion and educated speculation, and are for educational purposes only. They may contain incorrect information and are subject to change as new information becomes available.