Yakovlev YAK-18T accident near Berlin, New Jersey, October 27, 1996
On October 27, 1996 at about 6:50 pm local time, a Yakovlev YAK-18T, registered N9418, was destroyed in an accident near Berlin, New Jersey (Camden County airport). It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under general aviation rules (Part 91). 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
an inadequate preflight by unknown person(s), sometime before the flight, by failing to avoid a hydraulic lock (from oil seepage) in the #5 cylinder, which resulted in a bent connecting rod, subsequent failure of the #5 piston, and loss of engine power. Also causal was: the flight crew's failure to maintain adequate control of the aircraft and/or clearance from a tree, while maneuvering for an emergency landing.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 27, 1996 · about 6:50 pm local time
- Place
- Berlin, New Jersey · Camden County
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 2 people were killed and 1 person was seriously injured.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Yakovlev YAK-18T · all YAK-18Ts on the register
- Registration
- N9418 · no longer on the register · serial 09-33
- Damage
- Destroyed
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane was on a demonstration flight with a prospective buyer in the left front seat & the co-owners in the right front & a rear seat. A witness said the airplane was above the airport when a puff of white smoke came from the exhaust, & the engine lost power. The gear was extended, & the pilot(s) entered a left turn to circle & descend for a forced landing at the airport. The left seat pilot said the right seat pilot abandoned the controls, saying 'You have it.' He also said that before entering an uncontrolled descent, the right seat pilot yelled, 'We're not going to make it,' then he grabbed the controls, yanked back, and the airplane half snap rolled & dove into trees. However, a ground witness said the airplane descended until it impacted a tree, while still in a left spiral. Exam of the engine revealed 3 broken connecting rods & a shattered #5 piston. The piston had failed in compression & showed polished edges & distress associated with hydraulic lock. Operating instructions required that spark plugs & drain plugs be removed from the #4, #5, & #6 cylinders before turning the propeller to prevent hydraulic lock (if parked more than 3 days). A witness said the owners started the radial engine every couple of weeks without removing anything from the engine. A factory trained engine technician said there was evidence '...the engine was started without the operator having first checked for the presence of oil in the lower cylinders as is described in the aircraft operating instructions.'
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: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 8,000 hours in all; 150 in the last 90 days; 60 in the last 30 days; 5,000 as pilot in command; 4,050 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Last inspection: annual inspection, December 13, 1995
- Maximum gross weight: 3,636 lb
- Seats: 4
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Vendeneyev M-14P (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: 19N
- Flight plan: none
- Runway 23, 3,100 ft by 45 ft
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: at 6 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: broken clouds at 5,000 ft; not recorded
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 54°F (12°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 5:45 pm from KPN, 18 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 | 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.