Yakovlev YAK-52 N1189N

Summary

On 11 September 2001 at about 00:23 local time, a Yakovlev YAK-52 registered N1189N was involved in an accident near Washington, Connecticut, 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

11 September 2001 at 00:23

Classification

Accident

Location

Washington, Connecticut, United States

Coordinates

41.6297, -73.2792

Aircraft

Yakovlev YAK-52

Registration

N1189N

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Wurtsboro → Providence

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

IMC

Light

Night/Dark

NTSB number

NYC01LA224

1 person died.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Factors in the accident were the dark night, reduced visibility, and the pilot's decision to conduct VFR operations at night in adverse weather conditions.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot purchased the airplane a couple of days before the accident in the State of Washington, and was ferrying it to Providence, Rhode Island. The airplane departed on the last leg of the cross-country flight VFR, and was enroute to Providence when the accident happened. A weather observation taken 30 minutes after the accident at an airport approximately 22 miles to the south of the accident site, recorded the wind as calm, visibility 3 miles in rain and mist, overcast clouds at 6,500 feet, temperature 72 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.07 Hg. A weather radar image captured 23 minutes before the accident showed an area of strong radar returns consistent with heavy precipitation in the vicinity of the accident site. A witness reported that the accident site was rainy, foggy, and "extremely" dark when the accident happened. The pilot was scheduled to work 16 hours the day after the accident. The pilot also left a voice message the day before the accident stating she was "socked in" from a storm approaching from the west. The pilot had approximately 1,680 hours of total flight experience. The airplane impacted the ground approximately 40 degrees nose down. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.