Had Flown Aircraft Days Before With No Problems

The pilot of an experimental "mini-Mustang" that crashed last week shortly after takeoff from a New York airfield, has succumbed to his injuries.

The Saratogan newspaper in Saratoga Springs, NY reports Charles Hudson, 42, passed away Saturday, four days after the SAL 2/3 P-51 he was piloting crashed after takeoff from Schenectady County Airport (SCH).

As ANN reported, Hudson conducted a series of ground taxi tests on September 23, following work performed on the plane's engine. He then asked for, and received, takeoff clearance from tower controllers.

Witnesses said the aircraft climbed out to around 200 feet AGL, before they saw the plane disappear beneath the tree line. A pilot who was taxiing out for departure at the time of the accident said Hudson made a distress call before the plane impacted, telling controllers he had lost engine power.

The aircraft came to rest inverted in the trees. Rescuers had to contend with a fire in the plane's engine compartment before they were able to pull off the aircraft's canopy, and free the pilot. 

Police say the plane's owner, David Prescott, told officers Hudson had flown the mini-Mustang the Sunday before, with no problems. The aircraft was manufactured in 1991, according to FAA records.

At this writing on September 29, the NTSB has not yet issued its Preliminary Report on the accident.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov