Yakovlev YAK 52 accident near Porterville, California, April 29, 2017
On April 29, 2017 at about 5:15 pm local time, a 1983 Yakovlev YAK 52, registered N132MD, was substantially damaged in an accident during enroute near Porterville, California (Porterville Municipal Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
A partial loss of engine power due to contaminants in the fuel system that decreased the fuel flow, the source of which could not be determined.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- April 29, 2017 · about 5:15 pm local time
- Place
- Porterville, California · Porterville Municipal Airport · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries; 1 other was unhurt.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Yakovlev YAK 52, built 1983 · all YAK 52s on the register
- Registration
- N132MD · registry record · serial 833802
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airline transport pilot reported that, during a formation flight, the engine started to run rough. Unable to maintain level flight, the pilot detached from the formation to troubleshoot the problem. The pilot noted that there were about 29 gallons of useable fuel onboard and all other indications were normal. The engine continued to lose power, and about 500 ft above the ground, the pilot elected to land in a vineyard. During landing, the airplane touched down, came to an abrupt stop, nosed over, and came to rest inverted. Postaccident engine examination revealed small pieces of fabric in the fuel screen. In addition, some metal shavings and a small piece of metal were found in the fuel intake and carburetor inlet screen. The origins of the metal piece and shavings could not be determined. It is unlikely that the observed debris was enough to clog the fuel system; however, it is possible that there were other, non-observable pieces of debris in the fuel system that could have resulted in decreased fuel flow and the partial 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 (partial) during enroute defining event
- Off-field or emergency landing during landing
- Nose over/nose down during landing
The NTSB's findings
- cause Environmental issues › Physical environment › Object/animal/substance › Debris/dirt/foreign object › Effect on equipment
- cause Aircraft › Fluids/misc hardware › Fluids › Fuel › Fluid condition
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 26,144 hours in all; 712 in this make and model; 21 in the last 90 days; 9 in the last 30 days; 18,824 as pilot in command; 2,085 on instruments
- Last flight review: April 17, 2017
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: frt
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 1,734 hours
- Last inspection: annual inspection, February 8, 2017; 21 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,899 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Vedeneyev M14P (piston); 2,103 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: PTV Porterville CA at 4:35 pm
- Destination: PTV Porterville CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 210° at 7 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 66°F (19°C), dew point 36°F (2°C)
- Altimeter: 30.11 inHg
- Observation at 4:56 pm from PTV, 7 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flig | 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.
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 WPR17LA094.