Yakovlev YAK55M accident near Troy, Alabama, October 14, 2003
On October 14, 2003 at about 8:40 pm local time, a Yakovlev YAK55M, registered N55YA, was substantially damaged in an accident near Troy, Alabama. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A loss of engine power due to a fractured connecting rod for undetermined reasons.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 14, 2003 · about 8:40 pm local time
- Place
- Troy, Alabama · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Yakovlev YAK55M · all YAK55Ms on the register
- Registration
- N55YA · registry record · serial 930804
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot stated he was at 3,000 feet in cruise flight, when he felt an instantaneous onset of a severe vibration. He reduced power and looked at the instrument panel. He did not observe an illumination of the engine chip detector light. He increased power to see what manifold pressure that he could maintain. The airplane would not maintain cruise flight. He observed a field to his front and initiated a forced landing to the field. He completed an engine shut down and started slipping the airplane to the harvested cornfield. The airplane touched down, rolled about 200 feet, and collided with a berm. Examination of the airplane revealed the propeller would continue to turn without the engine running. The propeller assembly was disassembled and the propeller shaft was fractured. Disassembly of the engine revealed all 9 connecting rods were fractured. The propeller shaft and connecting rods were examined by the NTSB Materials Laboratory. Post separation damage of the connecting rods had totally obliterated the fracture surfaces of the connecting rods making the determination of the failure modes impossible.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 1,200 hours in all; 22 in this make and model; 40 in the last 90 days; 27 in the last 30 days; 1,000 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: July 10, 2003
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 780 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, April 4, 2003; 28 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 3,880 lb
- Seats: 1
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Vedeheyev M14P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: TLH Tallahassee FL at 7:40 pm
- Destination: MGM Montgomery AL
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 250° at 10 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: a few clouds at 4,300 ft
- Temperature: 81°F (27°C), dew point 64°F (18°C)
- Altimeter: 29.78 inHg
- Observation at 7:53 pm from TOI, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Other NTSB records under N55YA the same tail number, which may have belonged to a different aircraft at the time
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.