Yakovlev YAK 52 N644LL
18 June 2002 · Antioch, California, United States · Fatal
Summary
On 18 June 2002 at about 19:20 local time, a Yakovlev YAK 52 registered N644LL, operated by Raymond S. Puddy, was involved in an accident near Antioch, California, 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.
The record
- Date
- at 19:20
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Antioch, California, United States
- Coordinates
- 37.9358, -121.7667
- Aircraft
- Yakovlev YAK 52
- Registration
- N644LL
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Raymond S. Puddy
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Livermore → Concord
- Aircraft damage
- Destroyed
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- LAX02LA202
People
1 person died.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The loss of control while performing acrobatic maneuvers due to a screwdriver restricting elevator travel. A contributing factor was the airplane's fuselage not being sterile of foreign objects.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
A witness located north east of the accident site, observed the airplane "starting a vertical climb, slowly rolling over and diving straight down." The witness stated that the airplane "never appeared to be trying to pull out of the dive." Subsequently, the witness lost sight of the airplane behind a mountain, and heard the "sound of impact." Examination of the wreckage revealed a screwdriver located in the aft section of the fuselage. Multiple witness marks were observed around the elevator bellcrank housing, and numerous gouges on the screwdriver. When the screwdriver was placed between the elevator bellcrank and housing, and the bellcrank moved by hand, the elevator control was restricted to the neutral position. The energy dispersive x-ray spectroscopy analysis performed on the screwdriver conclusively demonstrated that the screwdriver was lodged between the various structural items.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Yakovlev YAK-52 accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 17 Jul 2002 | Yakovlev YAK 52 | Parrish, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 6 Aug 2002 | Yakovlev YAK 52 | Aledo, Texas, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 13 Jul 2002 | Yakovlev YAK 52 | Matawan, New Jersey, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 11 Sep 2001 | Yakovlev YAK-52 | Washington, Connecticut, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 16 Jan 2003 | Yakovlev YAK 52 | Midway, Utah, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 10 Jun 2001 | Yakovlev YAK 52 | Custer, Washington, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Jul 2002 | Ayres S2R-T34 | Firebaugh, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 13 Nov 2002 | Beechcraft A36TC | San Andreas, California, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 5 May 2002 | Sierra RAF 2000 GTX-SE | Lompoc, California, United States | - | No injuries | - |
| 15 Mar 2002 | Trenti RV-4 | Jacumba, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |
| 23 Feb 2002 | Thunder and Colt COLT 120 A | Moreno Valley, California, United States | - | Serious injuries | - |
| 21 Sep 2002 | Pzl-Bielsko SZD-42-2 JANTAR | Hemet, California, United States | - | Fatal | 1 |