Yakovlev YAK 52 N2256J

Summary

On 16 January 2003 at about 17:57 local time, a Yakovlev YAK 52 registered N2256J was involved in an accident near Midway, Utah, United States. 2 people were on board and 2 died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

16 January 2003 at 17:57

Classification

Accident

Location

Midway, Utah, United States

Coordinates

40.5967, -111.4550

Aircraft

Yakovlev YAK 52

Registration

N2256J

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Heber City → Heber City

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

DEN03FA034

2 people died.

The malfunction of the elevator control as a result of a jammed elevator control bell crank, rendering control of the airplane impossible. A contributing factor was the foreign object (nut) damage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The purpose of the flight was for one pilot to familiarize the other pilot with the YAK 52. Both were retired military pilots and airline captains. The fixed base operator's (FBO) receptionist heard a voice on the Unicom frequency say, "We're crashing, we're going in," or words to that effect. Witnesses saw the airplane descend vertically and impact an open field in a residential area. They said the engine was developing full power. During wreckage examination, a brass nut was found in the crushed skin of the empennage. The nut was identified as coming from an air hose assembly. Many of the airplane's systems were pneumatically operated (i.e., engine start, flaps/landing gear extension/retraction). On one end of the assembly was a brass adapter that consisted of a nut and fitting. According to a partner of Squadron 52 LLC, the adapter portion of the assembly was always connected to, and was an integral part of, the hose assembly. Although not normally carried in the airplane, an air hose assembly was usually carried on cross-country trips in the event the air tank developed a leak and there was insufficient pressure to start the engine. The hose assembly could be attached to an FBO's air bottle and the engine could be "jump started." The nut exhibited numerous gouges. The nut was placed between the elevator bellcrank and housing. When the bellcrank was moved by hand, full up and down elevator control could not be achieved because to the impeding nut. The gouges on the nut were consistent with elevator bellcrank contact. Scrape marks were also noted on the underside of the bellcrank housing. It could not be determined how or when the adapter assembly separated from the hose, or how the nut got into the empennage. This report was modified on July 29, 2004.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.