- Date
- October 23, 2016, 14:30 local (21:30 UTC)
- Place
- Tracy, CA
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N38YKYakovlev YAK
- Defining event
- Landing: Loss of control in flight
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 13, 2017
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20161023016959A
- Case key
- 94264
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s unstabilized approach and delayed application of full throttle for a go-around, which resulted in an uncontrolled descent.
Findings · 4
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot of the high-performance airplane reported that, on his third simulated forced landing, while turning left base to final in a slip, he realized that the airplane was too low and not aligned with the runway. He applied full throttle to go around. The airplane responded suddenly by changing attitude but continued to descend and impacted terrain and the airport perimeter fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot further reported that the slow airspeed coupled with the unexpected high torque from advancing the throttle during an uncoordinated left turn were factors in the accident. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Factual narrative
The pilot of the high performance airplane reported that on his third simulated forced landing, while turning left base to final in a slip, he realized that the airplane was too low, and not aligned with the runway. He applied full throttle to go-around. The airplane responded suddenly by changing attitude, but continued to descend and impacted terrain and the airport perimeter fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The pilot further reported that the slow airspeed coupled with the unexpected high torque from advancing the throttle during an uncoordinated left turn were factors in the accident. The pilot reported no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N38YK
- Reported as
- Yakovlev YAK (55M)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 870203
- Built
- 1987
- Airframe hours
- 1,900
- Engine
- Vedeneyev M14PF, 400 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Standard, Aerobatic
- Last inspection
- Annual · July 14, 2016
- Departed
- RHV · San Jose, CA
- Destination
- 1Q4 · Tracy, CA
- Airport
- 1Q4 · New Jerusalem, runway 30, 3,530 × 60 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Unknown
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 61
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- March 12, 2015
- Seat
- Single
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 628 total · 134 in this make and model · 474 as pilot in command · 10 in the last 90 days · 4 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 280° at 4 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 75 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 29.87 inHg
- Observed at
- KSCK, 13 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on February 9, 2017, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 680 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.