Wednesday, July 18, 2007

"Warbird" crash kills valley pilot on solo flight

Did P-51 roll because of too much power?


By PAT MURPHY
Express Staff Writer

John McKittrick

A sudden burst of excessive engine power may have led to a fatal crash in California on Sunday of a P-51D Mustang that killed part-time valley resident John McKittrick on his first solo flight in the $1.8 million World War II war bird.

McKittrick, 42, a bond trader, an experienced pilot in other single- and twin-engine aircraft, had purchased the Mustang five months ago with the intention of entering next year's Reno Air Races in the high-speed, unlimited aircraft class, according to a close Ketchum friend of 14 years and fellow P-51 owner-pilot, Bill Rheinschild.

Rheinschild told the Mountain Express that based on accounts of witnesses at Camarillo Airport north of Los Angeles, McKittrick was flying the Mustang--nicknamed "Lou IV"--solo for the first time since taking some 50 hours of dual instruction in the modified, two-seat former Air Force fighter.

His unidentified instructor had cleared McKittrick for takeoffs and landings and flying in the airport pattern.

"On landing," Rheinschild said, McKittrick "made a perfect approach but ballooned (bounced) when his tail wheel touched down too early."

He said McKittrick "added too much power" on the 1,850-horsepower Rolls Royce Merlin engine to neutralize the porpoising, which caused the aircraft to "torque roll." The high-speed aircraft whipped over into an inverted attitude and immediately crashed, killing McKittrick instantly. There was no fire.

<

"Whenever you get into a situation like that," Rheinschild explained, "it's every aviator's reaction to give it power. But you can't do it in this kind of airplane."

Rheinschild said McKittrick has owned a single-engine Beech Bonanza, a twin-engine Beech KingAir C-90 and a World War II T-6 trainer, and had contracted for construction of a Hawker Sea Fury with complete parts he'd bought.

McKittrick, whose fulltime residence is in Thousand Oaks, Calif., had about 1,500 hours of flying experience, Rheinschild said. Rheinschild is president of a southern California home-building corporation, but lives in the valley.

The P-51 (later the F-51) was the first U.S. fighter capable of accompanying World War II heavy bomber raids deep into Europe to ward off German fighters. The Mustang also was a superb ground attack aircraft in support of ground troops. McKittrick's Mustang had the telltale black-and-white wing stripes painted on aircraft involved in the D-Day Normandy invasion.

He is survived by his wife, Michele, and two children.

A memorial service will be held at 10 a.m. Friday at the Calvary Christian Church, Westlake, Calif., with a reception following at Sherwood Country Club in Thousand Oaks.




 Local Weather 
Search archives:


Copyright © 2024 Express Publishing Inc.   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy
All Rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of Express Publishing Inc. is prohibited. 

The Idaho Mountain Express is distributed free to residents and guests throughout the Sun Valley, Idaho resort area community. Subscribers to the Idaho Mountain Express will read these stories and others in this week's issue.