Czech Sportplanes Sro DYNAMIC N595DY

Summary

On 9 January 2011 at about 23:35 local time, a Czech Sportplanes Sro DYNAMIC registered N595DY was involved in an accident near Palm Springs, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

9 January 2011 at 23:35

Classification

Accident

Location

Palm Springs, California, United States

Nearest airport

Palm Springs International (PSP)

Coordinates

33.8297, -116.5067

Aircraft

Czech Sportplanes Sro DYNAMIC

Registration

N595DY

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Marana → Palm Springs

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR11LA119

Nobody was injured.

Inadvertent opening of the airplane canopy during the landing approach in a downdraft, which resulted in a rapid descent and hard landing.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was landing the light sport airplane at the termination of a 2 1/2-hour-long flight. During final approach, the airplane encountered a strong downdraft and the canopy extended to the full up position. The pilot was unable to reach the canopy handle to close it, and the airplane landed hard, likely due to the drag created by the open canopy. The left horizontal stabilizer and left aileron were substantially damaged. Postaccident examination revealed that the canopy latch did not always fully engage in the cabin frame during the closing operation; the latching pin would sometimes extend about 5 millimeters short of the 15 millimeters of full travel. Thus, it is likely that the pilot's encounter with a strong downdraft could have caused the canopy to flex and open if the latch was not fully engaged. In 2008, the airplane's manufacturer issued a Mandatory Service Bulletin requiring a revision to the flight manual. The revision stated that, if the canopy locking pin is not securely latched during the pre-flight inspection, the canopy could open in flight. The revision included operational updates specifying procedures for securing an inadvertent canopy opening during various phases of flight. The procedures stated that provided the airplane is flown in a straight and level attitude, the canopy will only partially extend, and could be retracted and locked by hand. The procedures warned that, during uncoordinated flight, the canopy will extend to the full open position, acting as an airbrake and resulting in an excessive descent.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.