S C Aerostar S A YAK52 N52MY

Summary

On 17 July 2010 at about 19:27 local time, a S C Aerostar S A YAK52 registered N52MY, operated by Mark H Haskell, was involved in an accident near South Portland, Maine, 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

17 July 2010 at 19:27

Classification

Accident

Location

South Portland, Maine, United States

Nearest airport

Portland International Airport (PWM)

Coordinates

43.6431, -70.3297

Aircraft

S C Aerostar S A YAK52

Registration

N52MY

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Mark H Haskell

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

South Portland → South Portland

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10FA364

2 people died.

The pilot did not maintain adequate airspeed during an emergency return to the airport following a total loss of engine power, which resulted in an inadvertent stall. Contributing to the accident was a total loss of engine power for undetermined reasons and the pilot's lack of recent flying experience.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot had not flown any airplane in almost 2 years. The purpose of the flight was for the pilot to obtain a biennial flight review from an instructor. Additionally, the accident flight was the first flight after the airplane's most recent annual condition inspection, which was completed about 2 weeks before the accident. The airplane made two touch-and-go landings uneventfully. The third landing was full-stop, followed by the pilot back-taxiing to the run-up area and testing the engine. Following the engine run-up, the pilot intended to take off again; he told the air traffic controller that he wanted to fly over the airport at 3,000 feet to do a system check. A witness stated that, during the takeoff, the wings started to rock back and forth. The pilot indicated to the air traffic controller that he wanted to return to the airport, and he began a slow left turn. About one-fourth of the way through the turn, the airplane stalled and descended nose-low into the ground. Examination of the wreckage revealed that one wooden propeller blade had separated at the hub and the other blade had separated about mid-span. The propeller blade and engine damage were consistent with little or no rotation at impact. Adequate fuel was found in the fuel system, and no evidence of contamination was noted. On-scene and metallurgical examination of the wreckage and fuel components did not reveal any preimpact mechanical malfunctions. Although this airplane had a history of fuel flow obstruction due to debris in the fuel system caused by torn hoses as a result of the installation of English-size fuel hoses rather than metric, no evidence of tear debris was found in the fuel system of the accident airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.