Fighter Factory Yak-3 gear collapse at Pungo (edited)

[lmritger]

Just got word that Jerry Yagen's Yak-3 had a hydraulics issue and was belly-landed at the Fighter Factory's grass strip in Pungo (southern Virginia Beach). No further word yet, more news as I get it.

UPDATE: No big deal, relatively speaking. The gear collapsed on the aircraft, there is some minor airframe damage, she'll need a new prop, and the engine will probably need to be looked over. Pics from the Virginian Pilot:







No one was injured, so hooray for that as well. Hey, any landing you walk away from is a good one...

Lynn

Last edited by lmritger on Tue Jul 29, 2008 3:18 pm, edited 1 time in total.

[Warbird Kid]

Not a good year for fighter factory .

[lmritger]

Not a good year for fighter factory .

How so?

[Warbird Kid]

Haven't they had a problem with there corsair this year involving a ground loop?

[kenlyco]

Do you know if Jerry was flying it?

[Mike]

Just got word that Jerry Yagen's Yak-3 had a hydraulics issue.........

Do the Yaks not have pneumatic gear?

[51fixer]

It was not a belly landing in the classic sense as it appears both gear are busted outward. At least the R/H is. Tail wheel is down as well. A belly landing is usually with out the gear down. A landing with out hyd pressure ie gear down but not locked can result in the gear collapsing into the wheel wells.
Some Yak 11's were rebuilt with new actuators built to convert the air powered retraction into hyd driven. I don't know what these YAk 3's were built with.
Rich

[retroaviation]

Typically, the Yak 3's and 9's will have pnuematic gear.
Gary

[Mike]

The fact that the inward-retracting gear legs appear to have collapsed outwards would seem to indicate that they've been subjected to some pretty excessive side-loading, rather than the cause being a hydraulic or pneumatic problem (unless 'hydraulic problem' means a brake failure or locking up). The crease in the wingtip leading edge and obvious grass hanging from the wingtip and pitot tube would also tend to indicate a rather eventful 'arrival'.

I just hope that the stresses put on the gear attach points haven't caused structural damage to the wing.

[lmritger]

Good catch on the outward-bent starboard gear, I didn't see that previously... wouldn't a ground-loop be a potential cause of such damage? And thanks also for the clarification on the gear pressure supply.

The follow-up should be interesting; I will be out there on the 7th and hopefully we'll have more news by then.

Lynn

[coldaffyduck]

Several years ago at the Hampton Roads, VA airport we had a Yak-3 come in there and upon touch down the landing gear snapped. From what the owner told me afterwards is that the Yak-3's had a very poor design in the landing gear attach area and were prone to breaking. I do not know how true his comments were but this is the second Yak-3 that I have seen now that it looks like it has happened to.

Here is the link to the other Yak that I was refering to:
http://warbirdinformationexchange.org/p ... light=yak3

[warbird1]

Several years ago at the Hampton Roads, VA airport we had a Yak-3 come in there and upon touch down the landing gear snapped. From what the owner told me afterwards is that the Yak-3's had a very poor design in the landing gear attach area and were prone to breaking. I do not know how true his comments were but this is the second Yak-3 that I have seen now that it looks like it has happened to.

Is this the other Yak you were referring to?

[Jack Cook]

Now this is a text book gear up landing

[kenlyco]

Or this....

[lmritger]

Or this....

"Reaper 01, repeat, please taxi off of the active."

"Uhhh, roger that Tower, we have engaged full afterburner and will be there eventually."