Sargent Jonathan VARIEZE N75EZ
18 November 2006 · Punta Gorda, Florida, United States · Serious injuries
Summary
On 18 November 2006 at about 15:30 local time, a Sargent Jonathan VARIEZE registered N75EZ, operated by Jonathan L. Sargent, was involved in an accident near Punta Gorda, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 15:30
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Punta Gorda, Florida, United States
- Nearest airport
- Charlotte (KPGD)
- Coordinates
- 26.9203, -81.9906
- Aircraft
- Sargent Jonathan VARIEZE
- Registration
- N75EZ
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 1
- Operator
- Jonathan L. Sargent
- Operating rule
- Part 91: General Aviation
- Purpose of flight
- Personal
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Punta Gorda → Unknown
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- MIA07CA018
People
1 person was seriously injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
Probable cause
The pilot's failure to maintain control of the airplane. A factor in the accident was the pilot's inadequate preflight, which did not ensure the security of the canopy before flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The pilot stated to the NTSB Investigator that he had problems locking the canopy. He would try closing the canopy several times before it would lock correctly. When he closed the canopy for the accident flight "it did not feel right" but elected to continue the flight. At about 500 feet above the ground, after takeoff, the canopy popped open. He stayed in the pattern and was on final approach while holding down the canopy. He released his hand from the control stick to throttle back, the airplane veered left. He could not regain control of the airplane and impacted the ground. The responding FAA inspector stated that during the post accident examination, the two front latches to secure the canopy down did not engage when the canopy was in the down and locked position. When lifted, the canopy to windshield miss alignment was about 3/4 of an inch into the wind stream.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 Apr 2006 | Lake LA-4-200 | Lake Wales, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 1 Mar 2006 | Mooney M20J | Fort Pierce, Florida, United States | - | Minor injuries | - |
| 26 Apr 2006 | Beechcraft A24R | Okeechobee, Florida, United States | - | Fatal | 2 |
| 15 Jul 2006 | Dahlstrom - Piel Emeraude CP-30 | Venice, Florida, United States | David G. Dahlstrom | No injuries | - |
| 19 Jul 2006 | Piper PA-34-200 | Deland, Florida, United States | Phoenix East Aviation, Inc. | Serious injuries | - |
| 28 Apr 2006 | Howard DGA-15P | Merritt Island, Florida, United States | - | No injuries | - |