Summary
- Yaks collide in Portugal airshow.
- Experienced, Manuel Rey Cordeiro, pilot dies in crash.
- Yak-52, a rugged Soviet trainer used in airshows.
Two Soviet-origin Yakovlev Yak-52 primary trainers collided mid-air during an acrobatic airshow in Portugal. One pilot is reported to have died. The pilot has been identified as Manuel Rey Cordeiro, one of Spain’s most experienced and well-known aerobatic pilots. This comes soon after a vintage British WW2 Spitfire crashed in England during D-Day commemorations, killing the RAF pilot.
Two Yak-52s collide in Portugal.
Spectators captured the collision of the two Yak-52s at the Beja Air Show on video. The accident happened at 16:05 local time during the performance by the Spanish-Portuguese Yakstars team. Videos show one Yak-52 (registered EC-IAS) crashing into the ground while the other Yak-52 (registered EC-NGZ) was able to land.
Aviation24.be reported that the videos suggest that one Yak-52 descended from the six-ship formation and climbed steeply in front of the Vic-formation of the other five aircraft. “During this maneuver, the aircraft struck the propeller of the aircraft in the left wing position (Yakstar 3). Yakstar 4 suffered severe damage to the tail, lost control, and crashed. A post-impact fire erupted.”
It is unclear why the aircraft moved out of formation. According to Portugal Resident, Patricia Fernades (the spokesperson for the Portuguese Air Force) said that it is too premature to determine the cause of the accident and that it would take “some time until we can understand what happened.” A trail of smoke can be seen streaming from the Yak-52 before it abruptly climbs into the formation.
An experienced pilot
The deceased pilot has been identified as Manuel Rey Cordeiro (known as “Coco” Rey). While emergency services promptly, there was nothing that could be done to save his life. Cordeiro was among the show’s most experienced pilots, with over 18,000 hours of flight time, and had been the leader of his team for more than 15 years.
According to reporting by Spanish-language AS, Cordeiro (aged 61) has accumulated numerous awards in national and international competitions and has participated in the competitions for over 25 years. He was the Spanish Ultralight Champion.
Cordeiro lived in A Coruña and also flew as a commercial airline pilot for Vueling (Spain’s low-cost carrier). In his role as a commercial pilot, he was captain of Airbus 319, 320, and 321 airliners.
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A Soviet trainer popular for airshows
The Yakovlev Yak-52 was first produced by the Soviet Union and first flew as a primary aerobatic trainer in 1976. Since then, it has proven to be a popular aircraft for airshows thanks to its performance. NZ Warbirds Association says “Like most Russian aircraft, the Yak-52 is a rugged design, capable of operating in the extreme temperatures of Siberia whilst requiring minimal maintenance.”
The Yak-52 is still used as a basic trainer in the Russian Air Force and other Eastern European countries. Notably, a Yak-52 was recently videoed shooting down Russian Orlan recon drones with machine guns over the Ukrainian city of Odesa in what felt like a throwback to the dogfights of WW2.