Pilot Who Built The Aircraft Survives The Accident

A pilot flying a T-51 Mustang replica in Illinois Tuesday survived when the airplane went down in a cornfield south of DeKalb Taylor Municipal Airport (KDKB). The airplane is a 3/4 size replica of the iconic P-51 Mustang from WWII.

The pilot was ambulatory and talking to emergency workers following the accident, according to DeKalb County Sheriff Roger Scott. He said that a citizen who saw the airplane go down contacted authorities. WBBM television in Chicago reports that there were "puffs of black smoke" coming from the aircraft as it appeared to be making an approach to the airport. The pilot, who was identified as 62-year-old James Auman of Sycamore, IL, appeared to make a gear-up landing in the field. The airplane reportedly flipped onto its back after first touching the ground.

Auman reportedly had to be cut from the inverted airplane as fuel leaked from its tanks. He was airlifted to a nearby hospital, where he was listed in stable condition.

Auman reportedly built the airplane himself. He is a member of the EAA's chapter at Schaumburg Municipal Airport (06C) in Schaumburg, IL.

(T-51 image from file. Not accident airplane)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov