Test Flying Memorial
"...and everywhere the
blue sky belongs to them
and is their appointed rest
and their native country"
- Samuel Taylor Coleridge
| Date | 08/07/2016 |
|---|---|
| Casualties | Flt Lt Alex Jay Parr |
| Aircraft | Yak-52 G-YAKB |
| Took off from | Boscombe Down, Wiltshire |
| Purpose of flight | Qualitative Evaluation of the Yak as part of the pilot's role-related continuous professional development as an ETPS course tutor. |
| Incident location | Dinton, Wiltshire |
| Incident details | The Yak was flown to the west of Boscombe Down and conducted aerobatic manouevres, during which the engine failed for unknown reasons. A forced landing was attempted into a field near the village of Dinton, and at a late stage an alternate landing spot was made for, resulting in a heavy and possibly uncontrolled arrival short of the intended landing area. The aircraft rotated onto its nose during the impact, with the engine and tail mostly separating from the fuselage and the pilot being thrown clear. The safety pilot, in the back seat, was not thrown clear and survived though badly injured. Investigation found the aircraft had a litany of problems - the pilot's harness had failed, the rear seat RPM gauge and altimeter and both gyro compasses were unserviceable, and the engine had never been overhauled in 24 years. |
| Web link | Service Enquiry report |