Primary finding
Probable cause
The hard landing and subsequent nose over during the forced landing. Contributing to the accident were the improperly secured canopy, and the distraction it created.
Investigator assessment
Analysis narrative
The private pilot stated that during takeoff from runway 23 when the flight was 20 ft above the runway, the tip-up canopy became unlatched and “flipped up” which eliminated his forward vision and made the airplane difficult to control. He returned for landing and reported the, “landing was hard.” During the landing roll the nose landing gear dug in and the airplane nosed over resulting in structural damage to the vertical stabilizer and damage to the rudder. According to a Service Letter from the airplane designer, in the event that a tip-up canopy opened in-flight, field reports indicate that the airplane will “most likely pitch nose down abruptly. The severity of the pitching moment can depend on speed, attitude, and weight and balance.” According to a Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector, postaccident examination of the tip-up canopy revealed the canopy frame was distorted and the left side of the canopy frame was damaged which prevented the left aft side from latching closed. The right aft side of the canopy could be latched closed and was unable to be manually raised once closed. The airplane was equipped with a secondary canopy latch at the top rear of the canopy frame. No discrepancies of it were reported. Further, no discrepancies were reported or observed on either “catch tooth” of the latch handle or canopy latch. The airplane was not equipped with a tip-up canopy latch warning system. While the FAA inspector reported no evidence of preimpact failure or malfunction of the canopy latch system (primary or secondary), the damage to the canopy frame likely occurred during the accident sequence. It is likely that the canopy was not closed and latched on either aft side and the canopy latch handle was not fully engaged with the canopy latch during takeoff. Had the airplane been equipped with a tip-up canopy latch warning system, it is likely that the improperly closed canopy would have been detected by the pilot.