Aerostar S A YAK-52 accident near Jensen Beach, FL
On May 15, 2010, an Aerostar S A YAK-52 (airplane) was involved in an accident near Jensen Beach, FL. 2 people died. Damage to the aircraft: substantial.
- Date
- May 15, 2010
- Place
- Jensen Beach, FL
- Aircraft
- Aerostar S A YAK-52 · Airplane
- Injuries
- 2 fatal, 0 serious, 0 minor
- Damage
- Substantial
- Position
- 27.287°N, 80.209°W
- NTSB ID
- 20100516X52337
Official records · ERA10LA266
- Public docket: reports, statements and exhibits from the investigation
NTSB summary
**This reported was modified on 11/7/2011; the accident date was corrected from May 27 to May 15, 2010.** HISTORY OF FLIGHT On May 15, 2010, at 1145 eastern daylight time, an Aerostar Yak-52, N6868Y, was substantially damaged near Jensen Beach, Florida, after it impacted water while maneuvering. The certificated private pilot and his passenger were fatally injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local, personal flight conducted under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91, which departed from Witham Field Airport (SUA), Stuart, Florida. According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the accident airplane departed SUA at 1140 eastern daylight time. The airplane was then observed by witnesses flying along the beach about 100 yards offshore, descending from approximately 300 feet to approximately 50 feet above the water, in a northerly direction. It next entered a "very abrupt and steep turn" to the northeast, and then went "straight up" while continuing to turn, until it rolled out on a westerly heading towards a cluster of condominiums that lined the beach. It once again made a "sharp turn" to the right (northbound), then pitched up "sharply", until it was "on its back" (upside down). It then pitched down, rolled about its longitudinal axis, and impacted the water nose first. According to a Palm Beach County Sheriff's officer, who also observed the event while flying at 500 feet above mean sea level in a helicopter, the airplane (which was below them), initially made a climbing right turn towards the west (towar
Probable cause
The pilot's decision to perform an aerobatic maneuver at a low altitude, which resulted in insufficient clearance from the water to conduct a recovery. Contributing to the accident was the airplane’s extended landing gear, which resulted in a degradation of the airplane's performance.
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Browse: Florida
Source: NTSB aviation accident database (US government, public domain). Findings may be preliminary or later revised by the NTSB. Not a complete global record.
