20030116000779A

Accident · Destroyed

FAA accident report · Yaklev YAK 52 · Midway, UT · January 16, 2003

Date: January 16, 2003 · 11:57 local
Place: Midway, UT
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Destroyed
Aircraft: N2256J
NTSB investigation: NTSBDEN03FA034
Reported as: Yaklev YAK52
People aboard: 2
Fatal injuries: 2

N2256JRegistration cancelled May 6, 2015 · Yakovlev YAK 52S/N 833709 · Built 1983 Airframe modelYakovlev YAK 52 Engine modelAmateur-built UNKNOWN ENG

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) On the morning of 01/16/03 retired airline edmund strauchen, part owner of N2256J departed the heber, Utah airport with his friend retired airline pilot robert koch on board for a local flight. N2256J is a yak 52, which is registered to yak attach squadron LLC, park city, Utah. The flight was begun at around 11:00 MST and was planed to be about 1 hour in length. The pilot was planning on meeting another co-owner around noon at the aircraft's hangar. At 11:57 several eyewitnesses observed the aircraft fly vertically into the ground with the engine operating. For some reason a loss of control by the pilot/pilots had occurred. The impact was in a field surrounded by homes in Midway, Utah. The aircraft was totally destroyed by the impact and post crash fire. Both occupants received fatal injuries at the moment of impact. A short radio transmission was received on the airports UNICOM frequency stating "were crashing, were going in".

As the FAA filed it

(-23) ON THE MORNING OF 01/16/03 RETIRED AIRLINE EDMUND STRAUCHEN, PART OWNER OF N2256J DEPARTED THE HEBER, UTAH AIRPORT WITH HIS FRIEND RETIRED AIRLINE PILOT ROBERT KOCH ON BOARD FOR A LOCAL FLIGHT. N2256J IS A YAK 52, WHICH IS REGISTERED TO YAK ATTACH SQUADRON LLC, PARK CITY, UTAH. THE FLIGHT WAS BEGUN AT AROUND 11:00 MST AND WAS PLANED TO BE ABOUT 1 HOUR IN LENGTH. THE PILOT WAS PLANNING ON MEETING ANOTHER CO-OWNER AROUND NOON AT THE AIRCRAFT'S HANGAR. AT 11:57 SEVERAL EYEWITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT FLY VERTICALLY INTO THE GROUND WITH THE ENGINE OPERATING. FOR SOME REASON A LOSS OF CONTROL BY THE PILOT/PILOTS HAD OCCURRED. THE IMPACT WAS IN A FIELD SURROUNDED BY HOMES IN MIDWAY, UTAH. THE AIRCRAFT WAS TOTALLY DESTROYED BY THE IMPACT AND POST CRASH FIRE. BOTH OCCUPANTS RECEIVED FATAL INJURIES AT THE MOMENT OF IMPACT. A SHORT RADIO TRANSMISSION WAS RECEIVED ON THE AIRPORTS UNICOM FREQUENCY STATING "WERE CRASHING, WERE GOING IN".

NTSB investigation

The NTSB’s investigation of this event, with its probable cause and findings. Matched to this report by N-number and date.

NTSB DEN03FA034Accident · 2 fatalField investigationFinal reportMidway, UTThe malfunction of the elevator control as a result of a jammed elevator control bell crank, rendering control of the airplane impossible. A contributing factor was the foreign object (nut) damage.Jan 16, 2003 · Destroyed