What happened
On September 22, 2024, at approximately 12:48 PDT, a Nanchang CJ-6A, registration N313YK, and a Yakovlev Yak 52, registration N5287, were involved in a midair collision near Lancaster, California. The flight was being conducted under Part 91 regulations as a personal flight.
The pilot of the Yak 52 had planned to lead a formation flight, with the CJ-6A flying as "dash 2" off the right wing. The flight originated in Watsonville, California. The intended maneuver involved accelerating from 210 kph to 250 kph, at which point the CJ-6A pilot would pitch up and bank left to depart for Payson, Arizona, while the Yak 52 continued toward San Diego, California.
According to the pilot of the Yak 52, the aircraft accelerated to the planned speed and the CJ-6A began the prescribed pitch and bank. However, after a brief moment of looking away, the pilot observed the CJ-6A overbanking to approximately 120 degrees and approaching the Yak 52 in a 35-degree nose-low attitude. Following the collision, the Yak 52 pilot noticed his propeller blades had separated. A witness observed the CJ-6A roll right four times before impacting the ground.
The collision resulted in 1 fatal injury to the pilot of the CJ-6A and 1 minor injury to the pilot of the Yak 52. The Yak 52 pilot was able to perform a left turn and land on a nearby road.
The investigation
The Nanchang CJ-6A came to rest upright in desert terrain at an elevation of 2,310 feet MSL. While most major structural components were present, the left elevator was missing. A long lateral tear was found on the left wing top skin, which contained paint transfer marks and a portion of a wooden propeller. The empennage was loosely attached to the aft fuselage.
The Yak 52 came to rest upright on the edge of a road approximately 1.5 nm southeast of the CJ-6A at an elevation of 2,350 feet MSL. The aircraft sustained a long chordwise tear on the left wing, crushed cowling, and the separation of both propeller blades at their roots.