The pilot’s loss of airplane control,” said the National Transportation Safety Board, “was due to his diverted attention to the canopy opening in flight.”
Aftermath: For Want of a Nail
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot lost control and crashed his homebuilt VariEze aircraft after his attention was diverted by an unsecured, opening canopy during takeoff, failing to abort despite ample runway.
- The aircraft lacked a critical "Rice catch" backup latch, a safety modification recommended after a similar 1979 accident, which would have prevented the canopy from fully opening.
- As a later owner of an experimental aircraft, the pilot was likely unaware of this vital safety modification, highlighting a common risk for operators who did not build their own homebuilt planes.
Key takeaways sponsored by Aviator Pro | Start Your Training ->
See a mistake? Contact us.
