The pilot reported that, during the approach to the airport in Lamar, Colorado, the Czech Aircraft Works’ Sportscruiser’s canopy opened, and he was distracted “because it was like a tornado in the plane.”
He attempted to hold the canopy closed and in the confusion the airplane hit the ground short of the runway.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the right wing.
According to the FAA Aviation Safety Inspectors who examined the airplane after the accident, no mechanical malfunctions or anomalies were found with the canopy handle, latch, or the catch.
Probable Cause: The pilot’s distraction due to an open canopy during final approach, which resulted in a loss of altitude and ground impact short of the runway.
This November 2019 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
I used to fly the B-737 with a Captain who though that the floor of the flight deck was a clever place to sort and store necessary paperwork. He ended up with papers floating all around the place!
(“though” should have been “thought”).
I should also have referred to the flight deck as the “Control Cabin”, which was Boeing’s original designation.
I usually have loose papers .
One latch problem for how many flight hours for aircraft using this latch?
Virtually all motor vehicles have been using plastic fuel line connectors for decades without issue.
Read where a lot of ATPs do stupid stuff too.
Yup, and I quote….”fly the damn plane”! ….
No matter what happens first rule is to fly the damn plane 🤨
According to the pilot’s comments, there were papers ‘flying around the cabin’…??
Who has loose paper in the cabin ? poor piloting, which caused him to lose control of the landing.
Looking at the pics, the canopy latch appears to be from a car door; a rotating ‘c’ catch with no safety secondary latch…..this looks to be a poor design.
Looking at the ‘assembly manual’, The electrical connectors don’t look to be aircraft quality, with tyraps to hold the halves together and the Molex connectors have no strain reliefs.
The fuel lines from the wings use a plastic connector for the 2 rubber hoses. !?
Also, this was a low time pilot, with 29 hrs in type, over the last 3 months..
How exactly is having loose papers in a plane “poor piloting?” I can’t think of a flight that there weren’t loose papers in the plane.
single sheet papers, like airport diagrams, can be held on a clipboard or on a knee board.
I cannot think of a reason to have loose papers in the cabin.