Pilot Debrief

MAARTEN H VERSTEEG ZENITH 601XL(B) near Leakey, TX — 2013-12-16

Final reportCEN14LA087
Sign in to save
Date
2013-12-16
Location
Leakey, TX, USA
Airport
49R
Aircraft
MAARTEN H VERSTEEG ZENITH 601XL(B)
Registration
N581SL
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
Serious
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Takeoff roll

Probable cause

The pilot’s failure to maintain control of the airplane after the canopy opened on takeoff. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to properly secure the canopy latch before takeoff.

NTSB narrative

The pilot reported that, shortly after the airplane departed the runway, the canopy popped open, which caused a large amount of drag, so he pushed the nose of the airplane over to gain airspeed. The airplane subsequently landed hard on the runway. Data extracted from the airplane's primary flight display revealed that the canopy latch became unsecured about 14 seconds into the 18-second flight. A postaccident examination of the airplane revealed no mechanical anomalies with the canopy latch that would have precluded normal operation. It is likely that the pilot failed to properly secure the latch before takeoff.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Human factors
First missed decision gate
Ensuring the canopy was securely latched before takeoff.

NTSB coding

Evidence available

  • 4 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents4

Related mishaps