History of Flight
On May 25, 2015, at 0818 mountain daylight time, a Yakovlev Yak-52, registration N124FS, was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain near Syracuse, Kansas. The pilot was fatally injured. The airplane was operated by a private individual under 14 CFR Part 91 as a personal flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed. The local flight departed from Syracuse-Hamilton County Municipal Airport (3K3) at about 0755.
A friend of the pilot, also a Yak-52 owner, reported that they had planned to meet at the airport around 1000 for a Memorial Day fly-by. Upon arriving at 0900, he found the pilot's car but the airplane was missing. He attempted radio contact without success, then departed at 1000 and held north of town. When the pilot did not appear, he conducted a solo fly-by. He was notified of the accident after landing.
A witness observed the airplane initially eastbound, then make a right 180-degree turn to a west course. The airplane "dipped down" (descended) until momentarily lost from sight, then climbed again. It banked again, and the witness could see both wings (red wings, white fuselage). The airplane leveled off, then dipped again, then began a left turn that appeared normal before it "fell straight down" without banking. The airplane nosed down, descended below the witness's line of sight, and a "funny" sound was heard. The witness notified authorities. Authorities received a call at 0819; the accident site was located at about 1130 after an extensive search.
Personnel Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with a single-engine land airplane rating. He was issued a third-class medical certificate on September 12, 2013, with a limitation for near and distant vision corrective lenses. On his application, he reported 1,000 total flight hours, with no flight time in the preceding six months.
Review of the pilot's logbook showed about 656 total hours in single-engine land airplanes, 541 hours as pilot-in-command, 99 hours dual instruction, and 31 hours night flight. The first logbook entry was dated October 25, 1994. Three entries for the accident airplane were dated November 6, 11, and 28, 2011, totaling 5.1 hours. The final entry, dated November 27, 2014, was for a Beech V35A with a remark "Flight Review," but no complete flight review endorsement was found. The logbook included a high-performance airplane endorsement.
Aircraft Information
The accident airplane was a 1981 Yakovlev Yak-52, serial number 811614, a two-place, tandem-seating, single-engine airplane with retractable tricycle landing gear. It was powered by a 360-horsepower Vendeneyev M14P radial engine (serial number KR032039). The airplane held an FAA experimental category exhibition airworthiness certificate issued May 1993. The pilot purchased the airplane in October 2011.
Maintenance records showed the most recent condition inspection was completed on May 1, 2014. At that time, the airframe and engine had 2,661.3 and 947.2 hours total time, respectively. The Hobbs meter indicated 1,174.4 hours. No subsequent maintenance entries were recorded. The Hobbs meter was damaged and could not be read definitively.
Meteorological Information
Weather conditions recorded at 3K3 at 0815: wind from 280 degrees at 3 knots, visibility 10 miles, clear sky, temperature 13°C, dew point 11°C, altimeter 29.84 inHg.
Wreckage and Impact Information
The airplane impacted an open field about 3 miles southeast of 3K3, oriented on an approximate 230-degree magnetic heading. A ground impact mark 21 feet west of the main wreckage was about 31 feet long and up to 1.75 feet deep, oriented initially at 090 degrees then shifting to 110 degrees. The outboard 5-foot section of the right wing and right main wheel assembly were found in or near the impact mark. A small fuel spill was reported, and a wetted area with faint fuel odor was observed near the left wing fuel tank.
The main wreckage included the cowling, engine, propeller, fuselage, remaining right wing, left wing, and empennage. The engine cowling was deformed and partially separated; the engine was dislocated aft and right, with corresponding mount damage. The fuselage was deformed along its length; forward and aft cockpit areas were compromised.
The left wing was dislocated but attached, with leading edge crushing and spar damage. The left aileron and flap remained attached, with aileron control continuity to the wing root. The aileron push-pull tube separated at the wing root (overstress). The outboard 5-foot section of the right wing was separated and deformed; the right aileron remained attached, with aileron control tube separations (overstress). The right horizontal stabilizer was deformed aft and upward; the right elevator separated. Three cylinders were dislocated from the crankcase; one propeller blade separated at the hub and fragmented; the second blade remained attached with delamination.
Medical and Pathological Information
An autopsy performed on May 26, 2015, attributed the pilot's death to multiple blunt traumatic injuries. The FAA Civil Aerospace Medical Institute toxicology report detected Atenolol, Diphenhydramine, Fluoxetine, Losartan, and Norfluoxetine in various specimens. Atenolol and losartan are blood pressure medications; diphenhydramine is a sedating antihistamine; fluoxetine is an antidepressant.
Tests and Research
GPS data from a handheld receiver showed the flight began at 0741 near the hangar area. The pilot taxied to runway 31 and departed about 0755, proceeding west about 6 miles before reversing course at about 3,500 feet. From about 0803, the pilot maneuvered southwest of the airport for about 6 minutes, with altitudes varying from 3,350 to 4,450 feet. Beginning about 0812, the pilot flew along the Arkansas River for about 4 miles, then turned south and maneuvered south-southeast at altitudes from 3,500 to 4,100 feet. The final data point at 0817:51 was 2.95 miles southeast of the runway 31 threshold, about 394 feet west of the accident site, at 3,714 feet (about 500 feet above ground level).
Shortly before the accident, the pilot overflew a residence about 0.25 mile northeast of the accident site at 0817:00, then entered a left turn, flew a 0.60-mile holding pattern, and returned for a second overflight about 40 seconds later. Altitudes for the first and second overflights were 3,317 and 3,589 feet, respectively. Immediately after the second overflight, the airplane entered a left turn; the final data point was recorded after about 90 degrees of heading change. The average groundspeed over the final 10 seconds was about 101 knots.
A Pilot's Operating Handbook for the accident airplane was not available. Based on airspeed indicator markings, wings-level, flaps-up aerodynamic stall speed was about 60 knots; flaps-down stall speed about 55 knots.