Flight and Incident Overview
On 15 September 2002, a Yakovlev Yak-52, registered RA44473, was returning to its home base at Popham Airfield, Hampshire, after a day of practice aerobatics at Compton Abbas. The pilot, the sole occupant, was keen to land before dusk. While on the downwind leg, the pilot selected the landing gear down and confirmed its extension via both the cockpit green lights and external mechanical indicators. On base leg, when attempting to select flaps down, the pilot became confused about the aircraft's configuration. During the landing flare, a loud bang was heard as the propeller struck the ground and disintegrated during the landing roll. The pilot egressed without injury through the normal exit.
Damage and Aircraft Details
The damage was limited to the propeller and engine, which experienced a shock load. The Yak-52 features semi-retractable landing gear, and the gear itself was not structurally damaged. The aircraft was manufactured in 1991 and powered by a single Ivchenko Vedeneyev M-14P piston engine.
Pilot Report
In a frank account, the pilot reported that during the confusion on base leg, he inadvertently reselected the landing gear to the UP position. He noted that the flap and gear selectors, though separated, are of very similar design. Position indicator lights for both systems are located adjacent to the gear selector. The pilot recalled that conversion training had heavily emphasized procedures to prevent inadvertent selection of either system.
The pilot considered several factors that may have contributed to the event: a rush to land before sunset, the lack of a normal break between his last aerobatic session and the return flight, and the dusk lighting making it harder to perceive the aircraft's descent rate during the landing flare.