Donna Mae Mimms in Hemmings Muscle Machines...

[Xplantdad]

In the letters to the editor...

[JoeC]

DMM has an interesting version of the crash.

Newspaper article on Yenko’s crash reported windsheer as possible cause.

NTSB report on Yenko’s crash ….

THE AIRCRAFT BOUNCED AFTER LANDING TOUCHDOWN. WITNESSES OBSERVED THE AIRCRAFT ASSUME A NOSE HIGH ATTITUDE AND HEARD SOME POWER APPLIED TO THE ENGINE AS THE AIRCRAFT VEERED TO THE RIGHT. IT WAS NOT DETERMINED WHETHER THE PILOT WAS ATTEMPTING TO ABORT THE LANDING OR REGAIN CONTROL AND COMPLETE THE LANDING. THE AIRCRAFT CONTINUED TO VEER RIGHT TO A POINT 173 FEET RIGHT OF THE RUNWAY PAVEMENT WHERE IT COLLIDED WITH A DIRT BANK AT THE EDGE OF A DEEP RAVINE. THEREAFTER, THE AIRCRAFT DOVE INTO THE RAVINE AND IMPACTED ON THE NOSE WHILE IN A NEAR VERTICAL DESCENT.
The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
RECOVERY FROM BOUNCED LANDING..IMPROPER..PILOT IN COMMAND
THROTTLE/POWER CONTROL..IMPROPER USE OF..PILOT IN COMMAND
DIRECTIONAL CONTROL..NOT MAINTAINED..PILOT IN COMMAND
FLIGHT CONTROLS..IMPROPER USE OF..PILOT IN COMMAND

[Mr70]

There is a Donna Mae Mims press release on the Yenko Corvair Stinger HERE.

[JoeC]

Rick, that is a nice item.
In that DMM press release under “Stinger Blows off 396 Chevelle” It states, “Don Yenko had one of the onlookers line up a Yenko 396 Chevelle Coupe”..etc.

Yenko had a Z16 Chevelle but don’t know if they would still have had it in Jan 1966 so I wonder what the “Yenko 396 Chevelle Coupe” was?
I guess is was just a new 1966 SS396 Chevelle demo or something.