Mark Clark: N6173C owned by Vern Peterson of Gainesville TX. Vern was killed in the crash of the aircraft at Denton not long after this photos was probably taken. Vern was a great guy and former chief pilot For American A/L in Dallas.

N6173C owned for many years by Vern Peterson near Dallas. Vern was killed in the crash of this plane at Denton TX, probably not long after this pic was taken..


T.J. Johansen:, This is the late Vern Peterson´s N51VP 44-73142 which crashed on take-off from Denton, TX on Sep. 6, 1989 killing Peterson and injurying his passenger. The wreckage was then sold to Bruce Morehouse of Denton, TX, and later to Tony Banta who has the plane under restoration!


Marshall T. Lysne: I am curious if the picture shown on your quiz has an accurate date. I have a picture of a P-51 with the exact same paint scheme that was stationed at DuPage County airport in West Chicago Illinois in the middle '60's. The number of that P-51 was N2112 and registered to William Ross. It was later sold to Ken Burnstine who changed the color scheme and raced the plane at Reno under the name of Miss Suzie Q. The serial number of that aircraft was 44-74756N. This plane later crashed at Reno in the early or mid '70's. I have never seen another Mustang with the same paint application until now.


Mark Clark: There were several P-51 that had this paint job. N2112 was one of them-owned by Bill Ross.

Pete Hodgdon

April 22, 2008 at 20:11:06

Vern was a dam good pilot, he gave me many a thril in his P-51...One time we did a Bob Hoover role on T/O out of Gainesville, TX, another time we did touch and go's on abandon airstrips, did loops and rolls over Texas country side...we even flew it with a damaged Vertical when we ran off the runway at Meechan Field...Vern was a great guy, but in my opinion he took to many chances. At the time 1974/75, his 51 was mint with a chrome plated prop, and the latest radio equip. He use to monitor the AA pilots flying out of DFW when he was flying his 51. He kept a spare engine in the barn on his ranch....rest in peace Vern, thanks for the memories.

Jan Harper	May 16, 2008 at 00:22:58
N6173C was owned and flown by Hap Harper prior to 1963. I have photos of him with the plane at the 1958 Oakland Airshow, if anyone is interested.

Keith Snyder

November 30, 2008 at 19:25:57

My father knew Vern very well, and I flew with him in this aircraft about a year before it crashed. That flight remains one of my most cherished memories. The cause of the crash was engine failure. The engine had just undergone a partial overhaul. One bank of cylinders was rebuilt to factory specs. Due to the cost of the rebuild, the other bank was to be done at a later date. The crash was on the first flight after engine reinstallation. Vern took off, and almost immediately the engine siezed up. Post mortem showed that the crankshaft had broken in multiple places. Rather than bellying the aircraft in the farm fields that surround the Denton airport, he tried to turn back to the airport's runway. He lost too much altitude, dug a wing in, and cartwheeled. Vern died at the scene. His passenger was thrown clear, and was still strapped in his seat. I had heard he walked away - if he was injured, it was minor. The aircraft had been housed at the Gainesville TX airport for several years, before moving down to Denton.

john mohan	January 04, 2009 at 13:15:31
i have seen vern at love field when i work for american air lines. and al denton airport. the ntsb said that vern air craft carg had about a 1/2 gal of water in it. and some one said that vern did not sump his tanks . john