Incident Overview
On August 26, 1995, a Yakovlev JAK-52 aircraft with registration LY-AHX (serial number 877405), operated by Kauno aeroklubu, crashed in the Kaišiadorių district. The accident occurred at the former Pyplių agricultural aviation airfield, located approximately 4 km northeast of Kaišiadoris city and 600 meters southeast of the airfield site. Weather conditions were good, with visibility exceeding 6 km and a wind speed of 7 m/s from 180°.
Flight Details and Sequence of Events
The aircraft departed Pociūnai aerodrome at approximately 11:30 local time for a flight to Pyplių. It was piloted by an instructor in the rear seat and a student pilot in the front seat. The flight proceeded at an altitude of 300 meters. Radio contact was established with Karmėlavos air traffic control before being transferred to a frequency shared with another JAK-52 (LY-AHY) flying on a similar route.
Upon approaching Pyplių, the aircraft entered a left-hand circuit for landing on runway heading 310°. The instructor allowed the student pilot to continue controlling the aircraft while focusing on determining wind direction. The fourth turn of the circuit was initiated late without proper assessment of the crosswind component (180° at 5 m/s relative to the runway). To correct a lateral deviation, the student pilot increased bank angle and load factor while keeping the throttle in a low-power setting. This caused the aircraft to lose airspeed and enter a steep descending spiral with a bank angle approaching 90°. The instructor attempted to recover but could not arrest the descent before impact.
Impact and Aftermath
The aircraft struck the ground, breaking the nose gear strut and bending the main gear. Three of four engine mount attachments failed. After bouncing, the left wingtip struck a telephone pole support, causing the aircraft to rotate 180 degrees around its longitudinal axis. It came to rest 17 meters from the initial impact point and caught fire.
The student pilot in the front seat was rescued by a farmer who arrived with a tractor 5–8 minutes after the crash. The instructor ejected from the burning rear cabin. Both were transported to a hospital. The instructor died on September 21, 1995, at Kaunas Clinical Hospital due to injuries sustained in the accident. The student pilot survived and continued outpatient treatment. No third parties were injured.
Investigation Findings
The Civil Aviation Directorate Inspection appointed a commission to investigate the cause. The direct cause was identified as the late execution of the fourth turn with excessive bank angle, leading to a deep spiral dive and loss of altitude. Contributing factors included: 1. The instructor failed to determine wind direction and did not finalize the landing course. 2. The instructor relinquished control to a student pilot with whom he had flown for the first time, without knowing their skill level. 3. The crew violated JAK-52 flight manual requirements for the fourth turn, which stipulated a minimum altitude of 150 meters and a maximum bank angle of 30 degrees. 4. The instructor’s delayed decision to initiate a go-around.
Aircraft and Pilot Status
The aircraft was manufactured in Romania in 1987 and had accumulated 246 flight hours by the time of the accident. A new engine (M-14A, serial K331049) had been installed on April 21, 1995, after the previous one failed due to a broken propeller. The student pilot’s amateur pilot license had expired in October 1994, and they had not undergone a medical examination since July 1995. The instructor’s technical check for JAK-52 was last performed in May 1995.