Yakovlev YAK-52 accident near Washington, Connecticut, September 11, 2001
On September 11, 2001, a Yakovlev YAK-52, registered N1189N, was destroyed in an accident near Washington, Connecticut. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was killed. The weather was instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot's failure to maintain aircraft control. Factors in the accident were the dark night, reduced visibility, and the pilot's decision to conduct VFR operations at night in adverse weather conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- September 11, 2001
- Place
- Washington, Connecticut · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person was killed.
- Weather
- instrument conditions (cloud, fog or low visibility)
- Aircraft
- Yakovlev YAK-52 · all YAK-52s on the register
- Registration
- N1189N · no longer on the register · serial 878208
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot purchased the airplane a couple of days before the accident in the State of Washington, and was ferrying it to Providence, Rhode Island. The airplane departed on the last leg of the cross-country flight VFR, and was enroute to Providence when the accident happened. A weather observation taken 30 minutes after the accident at an airport approximately 22 miles to the south of the accident site, recorded the wind as calm, visibility 3 miles in rain and mist, overcast clouds at 6,500 feet, temperature 72 degrees Fahrenheit, dew point 70 degrees Fahrenheit, and an altimeter setting of 30.07 Hg. A weather radar image captured 23 minutes before the accident showed an area of strong radar returns consistent with heavy precipitation in the vicinity of the accident site. A witness reported that the accident site was rainy, foggy, and "extremely" dark when the accident happened. The pilot was scheduled to work 16 hours the day after the accident. The pilot also left a voice message the day before the accident stating she was "socked in" from a storm approaching from the west. The pilot had approximately 1,680 hours of total flight experience. The airplane impacted the ground approximately 40 degrees nose down. Examination of the wreckage revealed no preimpact failures or malfunctions.
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: commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,680 hours in all
- Last flight review: February 29, 2000
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (valid medical--no waivers/lim.)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: fatal
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 681.6 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, August 1, 2001
- Maximum gross weight: 2,238 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Vendeneyev M-14P (piston); 0 hours total
- Fire on the ground
The flight
- Departed from: N82 Wurtsboro NY
- Destination: Providence RI
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: night, dark
- Visibility: 3 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 6,500 ft
- Temperature: 72°F (22°C), dew point 70°F (21°C)
- Altimeter: 30.06 inHg
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.
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.