Yakovlev YAK 52 N52VY

Summary

On 8 February 2010 at about 20:50 local time, a Yakovlev YAK 52 registered N52VY was involved in an accident near Redlands, California, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

8 February 2010 at 20:50

Classification

Accident

Location

Redlands, California, United States

Nearest airport

Redlands Municipal Airport (REI)

Coordinates

34.0944, -117.1264

Aircraft

Yakovlev YAK 52

Registration

N52VY

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Redlands → Redlands

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10FA131

2 people died.

The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control and altitude sufficient to recover from a low-level aerobatic maneuver.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses reported that the pilot completed several loops and other aerobatic maneuvers over the course of about 10 minutes. The airplane then began a spin from a low altitude and continued in a "corkscrew" path until colliding with the ground. Ground scar analysis and wreckage fragmentation disclosed that the airplane impacted in a slight nose-low attitude at a relatively low airspeed, an indication that the pilot was likely recovering from the spin at the time of impact. An examination of the wreckage revealed that all major components were accounted for at the accident site; flight control continuity could not be established due to the extensive fragmentation of the wreckage. The pilot had amassed 21.1 hours flight time in the make/model airplane, which included 7.7 hours of dual aerobatic training and 5.2 hours of solo aerobatic time.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.