Frontier A321 Accident, Cessna 421C Pickleball Crash & P-51 Mustang Low Pass

Frontier A321 Accident at Denver
Max Trescott and Rob Mark begin this episode with a bizarre and tragic Frontier Airlines A321 accident at Denver International Airport. On May 8, a man reportedly jumped a fence and entered the runway environment while the aircraft was departing Denver for Los Angeles with 224 passengers and seven crewmembers aboard. The aircraft struck the person with its right engine during takeoff, causing the engine to catch fire.

The crew rejected the takeoff at high speed, and the Denver Fire Department quickly extinguished the fire. Rob notes that while any high-speed rejected takeoff can be extremely hazardous, Denver’s very long runways likely helped reduce the danger. The aircraft reportedly had smoke in the cockpit after the rejected takeoff, and 12 people reported minor injuries, with five taken to a hospital. ATC audio captured the pilot’s blunt report: “We hit somebody.” Officials later said the incident appeared to be a suicide.

NTSB Hearing
The National Transportation Safety Board has scheduled a two-day investigative hearing May 19–20 into last year’s crash of a United Parcel Service MD-11F cargo airplane shortly after takeoff from Louisville, Kentucky.

Cessna 421C N291AN Pickleball Crash in Texas
Max and Rob next discuss the fatal crash of Cessna 421C N291AN near Wimberley, Texas, on April 30. The pressurized piston twin departed River Falls Airport, a private field near Amarillo, and was headed to New Braunfels late at night. The airplane was carrying people reportedly traveling to a pickleball tournament.

ADS-B data showed the aircraft cruising at altitude before beginning a descent and then entering a rapid right-hand descent. The airplane later appeared to climb sharply before entering another rapid descending right turn from which it did not recover. Weather in the area included low ceilings, rain, distant lightning, and isolated to scattered thunderstorms in the forecast.

One of the most important details is the pilot’s reported radio call to Austin Approach. According to a posted transcript, the pilot said the pitot heat had iced up, that they were on backup gauges, and that pitot heat was not working. Investigators will need to determine whether the pitot heat failed in flight or whether the problem existed before departure.

The pilot reportedly had about 400 hours total time, had earned his instrument rating in June 2025, and received his multiengine rating about a month later. He had also reportedly posted shortly before the accident that he was self-insured and now had enough time in the Cessna 421 to shop for insurance. A second Cessna 421 reportedly departed River Falls within minutes of N291AN and landed safely in New Braunfels. If that aircraft was flying a similar route through similar weather, its pilot may provide investigators with valuable information.

P-51 Mustang N251CS Low-Pass Accident
The episode also covers the fatal crash of P-51 Mustang N251CS at Vicksburg Tallulah Regional Airport in Louisiana on May 12. The flight lasted about 14 minutes and included multiple low-altitude, high-speed passes over the runway.

Max reviewed the ADS-B track and describes a flight profile that included a climb after takeoff, followed by a high-speed descent toward the runway at more than 10,000 feet per minute. The aircraft then pulled up, reversed direction, and made additional low passes. Ground speeds during the dives reportedly reached as high as 334 knots.

The final maneuver involved a steep turn with an estimated turn radius of roughly 0.3 to 0.4 nautical miles at about 200 to 250 knots. Depending on the exact speed, Max estimates that this implied a bank angle somewhere around 60 to 75 degrees. The aircraft crashed shortly afterward. Rob notes that this kind of high-speed maneuvering at an uncontrolled airport can create serious risks not only for the pilot, but also for other aircraft that might be arriving or departing.

Cirrus SR22 N39VF CAPS Deployment in Kansas
Max and Rob then turn to the preliminary report on Cirrus SR22 N39VF, which suffered an engine failure near Chanute, Kansas, on April 23. The aircraft was en route to Sikeston, Missouri, when the engine made a loud banging noise. The pilot attempted to divert to Chanute-Martin Johnson Airport, but the engine lost all power before the airplane could reach the runway. The pilot declared an emergency and deployed the Cirrus Airframe Parachute System.

The parachute deployment saved the two occupants from serious injury, but the aftermath was highly unusual. After the aircraft touched down, wind filled the parachute and dragged the airplane through fences and fields, flipping it upside down and then right side up. The occupants exited while the aircraft continued moving, and a good Samaritan attempted to block the airplane with a truck. The aircraft eventually crossed Highway 169 before coming to rest. Max notes that pilots flying parachute-equipped aircraft should think about what they would do if the parachute continued dragging the airplane after touchdown.

Piston Twin Accidents and Training Risks
Rob discusses Cessna 401B N122AT, which crashed shortly after takeoff from Tampa North Aero Park in Land O’Lakes, Florida. The airplane reached only about 100 to 200 feet and never accelerated close to the Cessna 401B’s blue line speed of 105 knots. The flight lasted only about 30 seconds. Rob explains that if the airplane suffered an engine failure during takeoff, the low altitude and low airspeed would have created a severe Vmc-related loss-of-control risk.

Max then discusses Beech 58 Baron N2063G, which crashed near Newmarket, Tennessee, after what the NTSB preliminary report describes as an instrument proficiency check. Earlier ADS-B data suggested a possible stall-spin or Vmc-related accident. The preliminary report adds that the flight included an RNAV approach, missed approach, and hold before the loss of control. Witnesses described abnormal engine sounds and a steep descent. Max and Rob discuss whether some multiengine training scenarios may be creating risks similar to the spin-training accidents that led the FAA to change training requirements decades ago.

King Air Ditching, Ultralight Rules, and Cessna 152 Fuel Exhaustion
The episode also includes a King Air 300, HP-1859, ditching in the Atlantic about 50 miles east of Vero Beach, Florida, after departing Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas for Grand Bahama International Airport. All 11 people on board were rescued, with only minor injuries reported.

Rob also covers a Quad City Challenger accident involving a propeller separation. The pilot believed the aircraft qualified as a Part 103 ultralight, which would not require registration, a pilot certificate, or a medical. But the aircraft had a 10-gallon fuel tank rather than the five-gallon maximum allowed under Part 103, meaning it did not legally qualify as an ultralight.

The episode closes with the final report on Cessna 152 N588BR, which crashed near Thonotosassa, Florida, after fuel exhaustion during a night cross-country flight. The pilot had planned a 3.25-hour flight, but the engine lost power about 3.8 tach hours into the trip, roughly 10 miles from the destination. Investigators found only ounces of fuel in each tank. The probable cause was inadequate fuel planning and poor in-flight decision-making, a familiar accident chain that remains a recurring threat.