Yakovlev YAK 52 accident near Mooresville, Indiana, July 24, 2000
On July 24, 2000, a Yakovlev YAK 52, registered N6223X, was substantially damaged in an accident near Mooresville, Indiana (Kay Air Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the brakes not available to the pilot. Factors were the improperly serviced brake system, the improper adjustment of the brakes by maintenance personnel, the trees, and the pilot's decision not to use the available alternate airport.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- July 24, 2000
- Place
- Mooresville, Indiana · Kay Air Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Yakovlev YAK 52 · all YAK 52s on the register
- Registration
- N6223X · registry record · serial 9111601
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot said that upon landing, "... the brakes seemed to work at first but began to loose effectiveness half way into the roll-out." The pilot said that he then aborted the landing and "...attempted to troubleshoot the problem with the aircraft checklist but the loss of braking effectiveness is not a covered item." The pilot said that he, "...evaluated going to another airport but decided against an asphalt runway. I decided to land in the taller weeds that are parallel to runway 09 at 20II.... During the landing roll the aircraft was slowed by the action of the weeds but the pneumatic braking action was weak and insufficient." The aircraft impacted the trees at the end of the landing run. A postaccident examination of the aircraft revealed that the brake handle was not properly adjusted in the front cockpit and there was not enough travel in the handle to properly engage the brakes. No other anomalies were found that could be associated with a preexisting condition. An airport located about 8 nautical miles and 353 degrees magnetic from the accident airport has three runways all exceeding 7,600 feet long with the longest being 11,200 feet long.
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: flight instructor, commercial pilot, flight engineer
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 2,485 hours in all; 12 in this make and model; 55 in the last 90 days; 25 in the last 30 days; 2,111 as pilot in command; 1,343 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: frt
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 365 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 12, 1999; 23 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,800 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Ivchenko M14P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 20II at 11:40 pm
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 9, 1,800 ft by 75 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 030° at 9 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: scat at 2,300 ft
- Temperature: 171°F (77°C), dew point 131°F (55°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:55 pm from IND, 8 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 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.
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.