Yakovlev YAK 52 accident near Wrightsville, Georgia, November 30, 2019
On November 30, 2019 at about 3:00 pm local time, a 1988 Yakovlev YAK 52, registered N52CY, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Wrightsville, Georgia. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A total loss of engine power due to the failure of the No. 5 cylinder exhaust valve, which resulted in an forced off-airport landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- November 30, 2019 · about 3:00 pm local time
- Place
- Wrightsville, Georgia · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Yakovlev YAK 52 No Series, built 1988 · all YAK 52s on the register
- Registration
- N52CY · no longer on the register · serial 889006
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
During the cruise portion of a repositioning cross-country flight, the engine experienced a catastrophic failure and a total loss of power. The flight instructor maneuvered the airplane for a forced landing in an open field, and about 500 ft above ground level, he lowered the landing gear, which significantly increased the airplane's rate of descent and reduced its airspeed. The airplane touched down in the field and nosed over, resulting in substantial damage to the fuselage, empennage, and wings. Internal examination of the engine revealed that the No. 5 cylinder's exhaust valve seat had dropped into the cylinder and likely fractured into several pieces, as metal fragments were observed in the cylinder. The failure of the exhaust valve led to the total loss of engine power.
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
What happened, in order
- Loss of engine power (total) during enroute defining event
- Hard landing during landing (flare/touchdown)
The NTSB's findings
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft power plant › Power plant › (general) › Failure
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,920 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 5 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 1,645 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 19, 2019
- Medical certificate: BasicMed
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
Flight instructor
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor, commercial pilot, private
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: glider; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane; instrument: helicopter; rotorcraft: glider; rotorcraft: helicopter
- Flight time: 3,805 hours in all; 4 in this make and model; 20 in the last 90 days; 7 in the last 30 days; 3,555 as pilot in command; 1,045 on instruments
- Last flight review: December 3, 2018
- Medical certificate: None
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 829.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, November 1, 2019; 4 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Vedeneyev M-14P (piston); 298 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: AYS Waycross GA at 2:15 pm
- Destination: OKZ Sandersville GA
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 4 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 3,100 ft
- Temperature: 61°F (16°C), dew point 50°F (10°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
- Observation at 2:55 pm from KOKZ, 12 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 2 |
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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ERA20LA045.