Zenith CH601 N354DM

Summary

On 29 August 2020 at about 16:20 local time, a Zenith CH601 registered N354DM was involved in an accident near Punta Gorda, Florida, 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

29 August 2020 at 16:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Punta Gorda, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Punta Gorda (PGD)

Coordinates

26.9189, -81.9908

Aircraft

Zenith CH601

Registration

N354DM

Category

Airplane

Year built

2020

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Punta Gorda → Punta Gorda

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA20CA303

Nobody was injured.

An inadvertent opening of the airplane’s canopy on takeoff, which resulted in a loss of control and runway excursion.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot was also the owner/builder of the experimental airplane. He reported that the accident flight was the second flight since he completed assembly of the airplane. During takeoff, about 20 ft above ground level, the cockpit canopy “flew” forward to the full up position. The airplane immediately entered a nose-down attitude and touched back down on the runway with the propeller striking the runway. The airplane then bounced, touched down again, and skidded off the left side of the runway. The nose landing gear collapsed and the airplane came to rest upright in a grass area off the left side of the runway. The forward portion of the airplane’s fuselage was substantially damaged. The pilot further stated that the canopy latch for the airplane make and model was known to unlatch in flight, so he installed a secondary latch system when he assembled the airplane. The secondary latch system consisted of a latch and catch mechanism that could only be secured from inside the cockpit. He added that the latches had to align perfectly to work. The pilot further noted that the airframe kit manufacturer offered a modification to the canopy latching system, but the pilot had not installed it.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.