What happened
On the day of the accident, a flight consisting of three aircraft was conducting operations. The flight included an experimental category Yakovlev Yak-52, a Yak-18, and a third aircraft. Shortly after takeoff, the pilot of the Yak-18 returned to the airport to secure a fuel door that had become unlatched during the initial departure.
The pilot of the Yak-52 chose to maneuver over the Cherry Point area to wait for the Yak-18 to rejoin the formation. Approximately 10 minutes later, the Yak-18 pilot approached from the northwest and observed the Yak-52 maneuvering northeast at an altitude of 1,500 feet mean sea level (MSL). The Yak-18 pilot instructed the Yak-52 pilot to reverse course to facilitate joining in formation flight.
As the pilot of the Yak-52 initiated a left turn toward the west, the aircraft experienced a stall and pitched nose down at an angle between 40 and 60 degrees. The aircraft then rolled to the right, pitched up, and oscillated around its vertical axis. Witnesses observed the airplane rotating two to three times before it impacted the terrain. The Yak-18 pilot noted that the aircraft struck the ground in a relatively level attitude with minimal forward motion.
The accident resulted in 2 fatal injuries, involving the pilot in the forward seat, who was a commercial pilot and flight instructor, and the second pilot, a commercial pilot receiving instruction.