The captain of a solitary- website, World War II replica aircraft reported motor issues , before crash- landing in a residential , Novi , neighborhood Sunday evening, according to the , Federal Aviation Administration.
The captain, a 71- season- old , Northville , native, was the jet’s only occupant and walked away from the crash with non- life- disturbing injuries, according to , Novi Police , Sergeant , Mark Boody. The helicopter crashed into a wooded area near houses on the 21000 wall of Cambridge around  , 6: 40 p. m.  , There were no fires or injury on the ground, Boody said.
Both the , FAA , and the , National Transportation Safety Board  , will check the collapse, although the , NTSB , will be in demand.
” Preliminary information indicates the flight departed , Canton- Plymouth- Mettetal Airport , on a local trip and experienced a reduction of motor power soon after takeoff” , , NTSB , spokeswoman , Jennifer Gabris , wrote in an email.  ,
The airplane was a Titan T- 51 Mustang registered to , Northville , resident , Kenneth Sutton, according to the , FAA , registry. It was classified as an amateur- built, experimental plane, and the most recent certificate of aircraft registration was issued in , May 2019.  , Kathryn Sutton , is also listed as an owner.
Titan is an aircraft kit manufacturer based in , Austinburg, Ohio, according to the company ‘s , website. The company makes kits for the Titan T- 51 Mustang, a three- quarter- scale replica of the P- 51 Mustang, a fighter and bomber used by the , U. S.  , military in World War II.
Kit aircraft are planes constructed by amateurs, according to the , FAA.
While original P- 51 Mustangs will cost millions of dollars, Titan T- 51 replicas may be well under$ 100, 000, according to the kit manufacturer’s website.
The P- 51 Mustang is credited with helping the Allies establish air supremacy over , Germany  , starting in 1944 after the British and American strategic bombing campaign had stalled, according to the , National WWII Museum. With its high speeds and six machine guns, the long-range fighter plane helped German fighter aircraft gain control of the skies and carried bombers both in and out of Germany. It also saw action in the , Pacific Ocean , theater against , Japan , and in , Korea , in 1950.
” The P- 51 dominated air combat in , Europe, destroying nearly 5, 000 enemy aircraft”, according to the , National WWII Museum. It was able to carry 1,000 pounds of bombs and rockets, and it was also a very strong fighter-bomber. The P-51 is still the world’s most recognizable fighter from World War II, and both veterans and enthusiasts alike enjoy it.
___
© 2024 The Detroit News
Distributed by , Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
