Runway excursion involving a Yakovlev Aircraft Factories YAK-52, Whitsunday Airport (Shute Harbour), Queensland, on 5 July 2026

What happened

On the afternoon of 5 July 2026, a Yakovlev Aircraft Factories YAK-52 ex-military aircraft was being prepared for a private solo familiarisation flight from Whitsunday Airport (Shute Harbour), Queensland. The pilot advised that the intention was to exercise the aircraft’s engine through normal operation and to conduct practice aerobatics.

Following the pilot’s routine daily pre-flight inspection, the aircraft departed Shute Harbour with a maximum expected flight duration of 50 minutes. The pilot reported the approach to Shute Harbour airport runway 14 was normal and recalled confirming ‘three greens’ and ‘barber poles out’ indications¹ for safe extension of the landing gear.

Upon touchdown, the pilot recalled that the aircraft began porpoising² and wobbling laterally, before veering to the left. Unable to control the directional change with braking, the aircraft left the runway edge, crossed the eastern taxiway and struck an electrical junction box (pillar box) before coming to rest in a drainage ditch (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Aircraft at rest within a drainage ditch

The pilot, who was uninjured, immediately shut down the aircraft’s fuel, electrical, oil and air systems before safely evacuating. The pilot recalled observing the left main landing gear had collapsed and the corresponding barber pole indicator lowered as they were leaving the aircraft. 

The pilot reported that at no stage did they touch or inadvertently move the landing gear selector during the landing roll or subsequent runway excursion. A supplied picture of the cockpit configuration taken after the aircraft came to rest (Figure 2) showed the landing gear selector in the down and locked position and the flap selector in the lowered position.

Figure 2: Cockpit layout with landing gear and flap controls noted

Engineering examination

The YAK-52 aircraft employs pneumatic systems for many aircraft functions, including landing gear extension and retraction. When extended, the landing gear is locked in place by a mechanism within the actuation ram; the gear is released for retraction by air pressure supplied by a pilot-operated selector in the cockpit.

Following recovery of the aircraft, the operator removed and shipped the left main landing gear actuation assembly to the aircraft’s maintenance provider for examination and testing. The assembly was found to be in good operational condition, with no evidence of defects or damage that would have prevented the gear leg from locking into position. Tests confirmed the locking mechanism worked as required, locking down positively and releasing smoothly.

The ATSB was advised that no other components from the aircraft’s landing gear assemblies or rigging had been examined following the aircraft’s recovery and the factors contributing to the collapse of the aircraft’s left main landing gear remained unidentified.

Safety message

In this instance, while there was no reported evidence to suggest that the left main landing gear collapse and subsequent runway excursion had resulted from any pilot action, the aircraft type has a history of unintended gear retraction during landing and ground operation.

In many instances these occurrences have been attributed to the cockpit design, which places the landing gear selector lever immediately adjacent to 2 indicator lamps that report the aircraft’s wing flap position (raised/lowered). While the flap selector lever is located to the pilot’s left, the co-location of the flap indicators and landing gear selector creates an ergonomic risk that pilots may unintentionally raise the landing gear when intending to raise the flaps after landing.

The following occurrences are examples of those that have been associated with inadvertent landing gear retraction in the YAK‑52:

• LY-AKF, 3 October 1999, AAIB Ref: EW/G99/10/02
• LY-AHF, 24 July 2001, AAIU Ref: 2002-014
• G-CBMD, 3 May 2014, AAIB Ref: EW/G2014/05/02
• G-LYFA, 22 September 2025, Aviation Safety Network Ref: 566953

About this report

Decisions regarding whether to investigate a safety occurrence, and the scope of any investigation, are based on many factors, including the level of safety benefit likely to be obtained from an investigation. For this occurrence, no ATSB investigation was conducted and the ATSB did not verify the accuracy of the information provided. A brief description has been written using information supplied in the notification and any follow‑up information, producing a short summary report allowing for greater industry awareness of potential safety issues and possible safety actions.

1. ^    The YAK-52 aircraft provides 2 independent landing gear position indicating systems – the conventional, electrically‑operated red/green indicator lamps within the cockpit, and separate external, mechanically-operated red and white striped poles (barber poles) that extend from the corresponding upper wing surfaces when the landing gear is lowered.
2. ^    Porpoising is an informal term used to describe the repeated upward and downward movement of the aircraft about the pitch axis during the landing process.