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[Stratodog]

but there is a fact(forgive me for wrting this)if you r a resposible pilot you dont make dangerous maneuvers above crowd.

That is a true statement: however I think we'll find in the end that Jimmy did not try to loop that plane, rather that it looped on it's own, while he was helpless to prevent it.

[Jonzynator]

Im not sure if anyone else said something about this, but looking at this photo ive noticed that the tail wheel is down.... 
Not sure if that is some form of a hydraulic  failure as well.

[congo]

Actual specs for Galloping Ghost compared to P-51.

Galloping Ghost


32 ft 3 in
Wingspan: 28 ft 11 in
Height: 13 ft 8 in
Wing Area: <170 ft square
 
Empty Weight: 7,635 lbs
MTOW: 12,100 lbs



Model   XP-51 P-51A P-51B/C-1 P-51B/C P-51D/K P-51H
Length 32.25 32.25 32.25 32.25 32.25 33.33
Height 12.2 12.2 13.67 13.67 13.67 13.67
Wing Span 37.04 37.04 37.04 37.04 37.04 37.04
Wing Area 233.19 233.19 233.19 233.19 233.19 233.19
Empty Weight 6280 6433 6840 6985 7635 7040
Normal Takeoff 8400 8600 9200 9800 10100 9500
Max. Gross Weight  10600 11200 11800 12100 11500
 

[Wildchild]

Im not sure if anyone else said something about this, but looking at this photo ive noticed that the tail wheel is down.... 
Not sure if that is some form of a hydraulic  failure as well.

Maybe because of the shear G's they airplane faced when the trim tab came off, the hydraculic lines sheared and  there for the tail wheel comes down...

[Pursuivant]

Im not sure if anyone else said something about this, but looking at this photo ive noticed that the tail wheel is down.... 
Not sure if that is some form of a hydraulic  failure as well.

The tailwheel only came down during the final dive, it wasn't down during the half loop/split S just before the crash. I think that G forces helped the wheel come down, regardless of actual cause. Hydraulic failure is a possibility, but there's no evidence that the main gear was coming down, or that flaps were deploying. Perhaps they were locked in place or prevented from deploying due to high airspeed.

[Wildchild]

Im not sure if anyone else said something about this, but looking at this photo ive noticed that the tail wheel is down.... 
Not sure if that is some form of a hydraulic  failure as well.

The tailwheel only came down during the final dive, it wasn't down during the half loop/split S just before the crash. I think that G forces helped the wheel come down, regardless of actual cause. Hydraulic failure is a possibility, but there's no evidence that the main gear was coming down, or that flaps were deploying. Perhaps they were locked in place or prevented from deploying due to high airspeed.

Hyrdraulic failure would also account for the plane flipping to the right from the Propeller Rotation. And its a possiblity that, from hydraulic failure, that elevator trim tab came off.

Why would the main gears or flaps not come down? Once again your correct, the G's would keep them steadily in there. Them being locked in is also a possiblity.

I mean if you think about it... One trim tab comes off, you not only do have another, you would also think that the plane would head the direction it came off of...

[congo]

How would hydraulic failure cause the plane to roll right? The two systems have nothing to do with each other, all this speculation is getting pretty wild. If you are speaking of abrupt pitch changes in the prop that is not controlled by the hydro pump but by a seperate pump located in the prop govenor.

[Wildchild]

How would hydraulic failure cause the plane to roll right? The two systems have nothing to do with each other, all this speculation is getting pretty wild. If you are speaking of abrupy pitch changes in the prop that is not controlled by the hydro pump but by a seperate pump located in the prop govenor.

Exactly. So if the hydraulics fail, he cannot control the plane anymore. Put, with the propeller RPM's at a max, (rotating to the right) that would flip the plane over on it's back.

The broken elevator trim tab may still be explained by the G forces. That section experienced the most G's, so....

Correct?

[Stratodog]

Hyrdraulic failure would also account for the plane flipping to the right from the Propeller Rotation. And its a possiblity that, from hydraulic failure, that elevator trim tab came off.

Why would the main gears or flaps not come down? Once again your correct, the G's would keep them steadily in there. Them being locked in is also a possiblity.

I mean if you think about it... One trim tab comes off, you not only do have another, you would also think that the plane would head the direction it came off of...

Well, no.  That's not what I would think at all; and the hydraulics that control the propeller are separate from the hydraulics that control the gear, as stated by congo.  If you look at some of the photos you can see that the propeller has a lot of pitch and looks like it was functioning properly.  I really don't think the propeller was part of the problem.

Anyhoo... I could say a lot more, but the bottom line is, it's going to be a long time before we really know what happened. 

[Wildchild]

Sorry for confusing you... I know the propeller was operating perfectly. But, if the hydraulics controlling the flight controls fail, and the engine is fine, wouldn't the Torque from the prop cause the airplane to lean to the right, like on IL-2? and if you have no control surfaces, you can't stop the roll that your own motor is creating, right?

I'm done after this, I just wanted to clarify that I know the prop was operating fine, it's just if you loose ailerons, rudder and elevator, then your engine is in control of your roll rate...

Also... new fox news report... http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/20/photos-suggest-pilot-in-deadly-reno-air-crash-had-broken-seat-aviation-expert/?test=latestnews

[Stratodog]

Oh, I see.  The P-51 did not have hydraulic flight controls.  Nor did any WWII fighter that I know of.

[hawker445]

Also... new fox news report... http://www.foxnews.com/us/2011/09/20/photos-suggest-pilot-in-deadly-reno-air-crash-had-broken-seat-aviation-expert/?test=latestnews

Ugghh im tired of fox news. Their entire crew doesn't know what they are talking about.
I don't think it is possible for that seat to slide back in that aircraft. He must be  right against a hard surface because how would the canopy function if it is hollow all the way through the tail to the pilot. And pitches up, does a snap roll and stalls? That sounds like someone that wasn't at the scene. The logical idea is that it had to have been the G forces that knocked him out. His body turned to a gummy worm and the plane just did went with where ever the stick moved.