Yakovlev YAK-52 N77YK

Summary

On 2 February 1996 at about 22:15 local time, a Yakovlev YAK-52 registered N77YK was involved in an accident near Boynton Beach, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

2 February 1996 at 22:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Boynton Beach, Florida, United States

Coordinates

26.5103, -80.1494

Aircraft

Yakovlev YAK-52

Registration

N77YK

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

MIA96LA074

1 person died.

Pilot impairment of judgment and performance due to alcohol, his resultant improper planning/decision, and his failure to maintain sufficient altitude above the terrain while performing an aerobatic maneuver. Factors relating to the accident were: the pilot's lack of experience in the make and model of airplane, and his lack of experience in the type of operation (aerobatic flight).

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

A witness stated that the airplane was observed on a low pass down the runway at about 900 to 1,000 feet. The pilot then made three barrel rolls and lost altitude on all three rolls. The pilot remained in a closed traffic pattern and made a second pass down the runway at about 100 to 200 feet. The airplane was observed to enter a pull-up and a barrel roll to the left. According to information from witness reports, when the airplane was at the 90-degree point, it entered a descent and crashed into the ground. Examination of the airplane revealed no evidence of a precrash failure or malfunction. The pilot had limited experience performing aerobatic flight, and he had only about 6 hours of flight time in this make and model of airplane. A colleague observed that when the pilot performed barrel roll maneuvers on previous flights, the airplane was 'dishing out and losing . . . altitude on a regular basis.' The colleague said that he had 'informed' the pilot that he should obtain some dual instruction. A toxicology test of the pilot's blood showed an alcohol level of 0.10%.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.