Yakovlev YAK 52 accident near Bayou la Batre, Alabama, May 5, 2018
On May 5, 2018 at about 10:00 pm local time, a 1993 Yakovlev YAK 52, registered N81FS, was substantially damaged in an accident during landing (landing roll) near Bayou la Batre, Alabama (Roy e Ray 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 pilot’s improper planning for landing on a wet grass airstrip, which resulted in a runway overrun.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made November 2, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- May 5, 2018 · about 10:00 pm local time · cases in 2018
- Place
- Bayou la Batre, Alabama · Roy e Ray · cases near this 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 NO SERIES, built 1993 · all YAK 52s on the register
- Registration
- N81FS · registry record · serial 9311704
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
According to the pilot in the experimental, exhibition airplane, he departed from a grass airstrip about 1 hour after a rain shower. After a 15-minute pleasure flight, he landed on the same wet grass airstrip. He reported that the airplane touched down about 700 ft past the 2,000-ft-long runway's threshold at 75 knots with full flaps and the trim set nose up. He applied the brakes multiple times, but the airplane overran the departure end of the runway. The airplane's groundspeed was about 13 knots when the right wing struck a fence. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right-wing aileron. In the recommendation section of the National Transportation Safety Board Pilot Aircraft Accident Report, the pilot asserted that the accident could have been prevented if he had taken into consideration "the reduced traction offered by the wet grass." The pilot reported that there were no mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
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
- Runway excursion during landing
- Collision during takeoff/land during landing (landing roll) defining event
The NTSB's findings
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
- cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Planning/preparation › (general) › Pilot
- cause Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › (general) › Not attained/maintained
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Runway/land/takeoff/taxi surface › Wet surface › Effect on operation
- Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Fence/fence post › Contributed to outcome
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Surface speed/braking › Not attained/maintained
Pilot
- Certificate: private
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 252.6 hours in all; 40 in this make and model; 13 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 210 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: August 15, 2016
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: condition inspection
- Maximum gross weight: 2,900 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Vedeneyev M14P (piston); 0 hours total
- Operator: Red Star Aero Services LLC.
The flight
- Departed from: 5R7 Bayou la Batre AL at 9:45 pm
- Destination: 5R7 Bayou la Batre AL
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 36, 2,000 ft by 150 ft
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 340° at 5 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 8,500 ft; scat at 4,100 ft
- Temperature: 75°F (24°C), dew point 72°F (22°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 10:01 pm from KBFM, 13 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight crew | 1 | |||
| Passengers | 1 |
Photographs from the investigation 1 picture from the NTSB's docket, as the NTSB released them
The NTSB's photographs with the NTSB's captions, at screen size. Open a picture to see it full size or to report one that should not be shown.
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
2 documents, released by the NTSB on September 17, 2018. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.
| # | Document | What it is | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pilot/operator Aircraft Accident Report, NTSB Form 6120.1 | PDF, 9 pages | View Download |
| 2 | Photo | PDF, 1 page · our copy | View Download |
The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.
Connections how this case links to the rest of the register
- N81FS on the register today · the tail number may have moved to another aircraft since
- Yakovlev YAK 52 118 registered today · the model family and its accident history
- Yakovlev 230 aircraft on the register
- Engine: Vedeneyev M14P 174 aircraft carry this series today · as the NTSB recorded it
- Roy E Ray Airport · nearest airport
- Accidents and incidents in Alabama 1,211 since 1982 · 173 in the last ten years
- Alabama 4,351 aircraft registered
The whole map of how records connect · these connections as data: /graph/accident/GAA18CA284.json.
The bigger picture in Aviation Analytics: accidents over time since 1982, by model, by phase of flight and conditions, by place and on the map.
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 does not name anyone involved, its policy at this time. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.