Back in December, a recently restored P-40 suffered engine failure and crashed through a fence at the end of Sporty's airfield runway. That fence probably saved the pilot's life, according to the volunteers at the Warbird Museum.
The plane had been recently restored from a hulk rescued from a junkyard in New Zealand, the owner selling off one old plane at a time when he ran out of cash. Most of the plane's parts were made in house at the Warbird Museum, sitting adjacent to Sporty's field. On a test flight, the fighter was using a borrowed oil cooler, as their's was being rebuilt. The oil cooler ruptured when they were five miles out, losing all the hydraulics which included the brakes. The 1400 horsepower Allison exploded soon after, and the pilot made for the field with no engine and no brakes. Coming in hot, the fence finally brought the plane to a halt on the road at the end of the landing strip.
The landing gear was ripped from one wing, and included other damage to the wings and fuselage. A new motor is being sent from Florida, and the wings are being rebuilt at the Warbird Musem, since they have a forty foot long wing jig sitting in the corner, and the people to do it. Being a time and labor intensive job, the aircraft will be a while before being back in the sky.
The following video from Sporty's channel is a test flight of this plane
