First Flight in a High-Performance Taildragger Ends Inverted

The NTSB recently released its final report on the August 10, 2024, accident involving a Yakovlev Yak-55M that ended up inverted on a runway in North Kingstown, Rhode Island. As it turned out, the minorly injured pilot was not a pilot at all.

The man had just purchased the aerobatic Russian taildragger and, roughly 40 minutes after departing Chatham, Massachusetts, reported the engine was running rough. He adjusted the throttle and found a “sweet spot,” allowing him to set up for a precautionary landing at Quonset State Airport (NCO). Air traffic control provided wind conditions and the active runway. The pilot, however, chose to land straight-in on a different runway that provided a 14-knot quartering tailwind.

What happened next is somewhat hazy, since the pilot said he couldn’t recall the landing. The controller had a more vivid recollection, reporting that the airplane bounced, ground-looped, clipped runway lights, scraped both wingtips, and eventually flipped over. Damage included a crushed right wing, a broken empennage and tail, and minor injuries to the sole occupant.

Postaccident examination found several fouled spark plugs, especially in cylinder No. 4. However, investigators couldn’t determine whether the fouling happened before or after the rotary engine ended up inverted. The engine turned freely, and compression was present on all cylinders, showing no signs of failure.

The aircraft’s former owner said the pilot had fueled up, done a few engine run-ups, and some high-speed taxiing. Though initially “overcontrolling,” the buyer seemed to get more comfortable before he took off and never looked back.

A review of the pilot’s logbook showed he had logged 49.4 total flight hours. Of this, not a single hour in a Yak-55M, and none in any tailwheel aircraft.

The NTSB pinned the probable cause on the pilot’s decision to attempt a landing in a quartering tailwind, something even veteran tailwheel pilots treat with caution, and his complete lack of experience in that type of aircraft. The agency also noted the not-insignificant detail that he wasn’t certificated at all.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov