John Murphy JSX-2 N458V

Summary

On 7 May 2017 at about 18:15 local time, a John Murphy JSX-2 registered N458V was involved in an accident near Chesterfield, Missouri, 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

7 May 2017 at 18:15

Classification

Accident

Location

Chesterfield, Missouri, United States

Nearest airport

Spirit of St Louis (SUS)

Coordinates

38.6597, -90.6481

Aircraft

John Murphy JSX-2

Registration

N458V

Category

Airplane

Year built

2016

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Chesterfield → Chesterfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

GAA17CA272

Nobody was injured.

The pilot’s failure to ensure that the canopy was properly secured before takeoff, which resulted in an unstable landing flare and hard landing.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, after takeoff, about "100 ft. above ground level," the canopy opened and the airplane became "very hard to control." He added that he was able to return to the airport to land; however, during the approach, the airplane was unstable due to the "pitching and yawing." Subsequently, during the landing flare, when he reduced engine power, the airplane touched down hard, and the landing gear collapsed. The airplane exited the runway to the right and came to rest nose down. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.