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| Date: | Tuesday 21 March 1989 |
| Time: | 11:13 |
| Type: |  Van's RV-4 |
| Owner/operator: | private |
| Registration: | N239X |
| MSN: | 812 |
| Total airframe hrs: | 5 hours |
| Engine model: | Lycoming IO-360-C1D6 |
| Fatalities: | Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 1 |
| Other fatalities: | 0 |
| Aircraft damage: | Substantial |
| Category: | Accident |
| Location: | Hesperia, CA -
 United States of America
|
| Phase: | Landing |
| Nature: | Private |
| Departure airport: | Hesperia, CA (L26) |
| Chino, CA (CNO) | |
| Investigating agency: | NTSB |
| Confidence Rating: |  Accident investigation report completed and information captured |
WITNESSES REPORTED OBSERVING THE PILOT TAXI TO THE RUNWAY WITH THE CANOPY CRACKED OPEN APPROXIMATELY TWO INCHES. THE PILOT ENTERED THE RUNWAY AND DEPARTED WITHOUT PRE-TAKEOFF OR COCKPIT CHECK. SOON AFTER TAKEOFF THE CANOPY DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT ALONG WITH THE PILOT'S GLASSES WHICH WERE BOTH FOUND ON THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT RETURNED TO LAND AND THE AIRCRAFT ENTERED INTO A STALL AND SPUN INTO THE GROUND FROM AN ATTITUDE OF 100 FEET ABOUT 1/4 MILE FROM THE RUNWAY. CAUSE: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY LATCH THE CANOPY PRIOR TO TAKEOFF AND BY ALLOWING THE AIRCRAFT TO ENTER INTO A STALL DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLIGHT AT AN ATTITUDE INSUFFICIENT TO RECOVER SAFELY. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LOSS OF HIS EYEGLASSES WHEN THE CANOPY DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT.
Accident investigation:
 |
|
Sources:
NTSB: https://www.ntsb.gov/ntsb/brief.asp?ev_id=20001213X27904
Revision history:
| Date/time | Contributor | Updates |
|---|---|---|
| 24-Oct-2008 10:30 | ASN archive | Added |
| 21-Dec-2016 19:23 | ASN Update Bot | Updated [Time, Damage, Category, Investigating agency, ] |
Corrections or additions? ... Edit this accident description
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