RV10flyer
Pattern Altitude
http://rapidcityjournal.com/news/lo...cle_7e3fd430-d3a3-11e2-a413-0019bb2963f4.html
Glad he is okay.
Fly the plane.
Glad he is okay.
Fly the plane.
RV-12 incident in Chadron, NE
- Thread starter RV10flyer
- Start date
bbchien
Touchdown! Greaser!
That's a goofy accident, for sure. A pilot mess up....
We're gonna see more and more of this...
We're gonna see more and more of this...
Last edited:
EppyGA
Touchdown! Greaser!
Guess he didn't push on the canopy to make sure it was secure after he closed it.
Geico266
Touchdown! Greaser!
There have been 2 like this now, both just not locking the canopy. The pilots take off and freak out about the rush of air. They then try and close it and inadvertently push the stick down when they turn around to try and close it.
I have taken off with my canopy unlocked ( both by accident
and on purpose) to see what would happen. Like the OP said, "Fly the airplane" . The RV-12 flies just fine with the canopy unlocked, it's the pilot that can't fly. Glad he is okay.
AdamZ
Touchdown! Greaser!
- Joined
- Feb 24, 2005
- Messages
- 14,866
- Location
- Montgomery County PA
- Display Name
Display name:
Adam Zucker
There have been 2 like this now, both just not locking the canopy. The pilots take off and freak out about the rush of air. They then try and close it and inadvertently push the stick down when they turn around to try and close it.
Glad he is okay.
That is what I thought happened.
Fly the plane is right!
Tarheel Pilot
Line Up and Wait
- Joined
- Jan 1, 2007
- Messages
- 603
- Display Name
Display name:
Tarheel Pilot
I am so glad my instructor at the time had me fly the Czech Sportcruiser with the unlocked canopy so that I wouldn't be freaked out by the sound of rushing air.
silver-eagle
En-Route
Back when I was a student, flying a C152, the instructor opened the window just as we lifted off. Out the window went the brand new sectional. No other appreciable changes were noted. Fast forward 20 years, the door to the warrior was not closed properly, it popped open on take off surprising the right seat passenger. I calmly instructed the passenger not to worry about the door and requested a return to the airport telling the tower why. I even climbed to pattern. Again, no appreciable change in flying characteristics.
Fly the plane. As long as you are not on fire, most things are not much of a rush.
Fly the plane. As long as you are not on fire, most things are not much of a rush.
nddons
Touchdown! Greaser!
DrMack
Line Up and Wait
Just a week after we bought our 2007 DA40 last year my 19 yr old daughter and I were flying from KDTO to KRBD straight through the DFW bravo. This was her first flight in our new airplane. When we closed the canopy we didn't know that the locking pin on the right side was misaligned and that it was actually extended outside of the frame. There was enough friction between the pin and the frame that it appeared from the inside to be normally engaged plus the left side was in fact normally engaged.
About 5 minutes after takeoff we were given a vector that was going to take us straight over DFW which we both thought was pretty cool. Almost immediately after the turn the friction on the right pin gave way and the right side popped open. No worries I thought. Let's just unlatch the canopy and pull it shut. Dumb idea but fortunately not a serious problem. I could get my side back down but my daughter who weighs in at a whopping 90 lbs, could not wrestle hers down. So I contacted the TRACON controller and explains that our canopy had popped open and requested vectors back to KDTO. He asked me if it was an emergency and I said no, not at this time. So we got the vector and during the turn the noise level increased dramatically. Well, I thought this could turn into a really bad day if any unusual lateral aerodynamic loads on the loose canopy were translated to the front hinges. So I reconsidered the declaration and went ahead and requested a 7700 beacon.
We were only a couple of miles from the airport and the approach controller and the tower (KDTO is a class D) were calm and professional, offering advice on nearby airports and winds all the way and asking every minute if I needs any help from them. We arrived at KDTO in short order and landed without incident (no trucks were rolled but they were on standby).
I called the TRACON and talked to the duty manager offering compliments to his controller, noting that while I don't know who it was, he had a thick Boston accent so I told him to convey that there may be a new Red Socks fan in Dallas. He laughed, knowing exactly who I was talking about and thanked me for the compliment. He also heartily endorsed my decision to declare an emergency explaining that it puts the system into a better configuration to handle any unexpected events along the way to getting the aircraft back on the ground.
It all turned out well of course and I never heard from anybody at the FAA. It was a good drill for ATC and it was a good reminder for me to just fly the airplane first, then assess the condition of the aircraft, decide where to go, and then communicate those intentions to ATC, all in that order.
We made sure the latch was fully engaged on the next attempt and it all turned out well for our short hop back home.
About 5 minutes after takeoff we were given a vector that was going to take us straight over DFW which we both thought was pretty cool. Almost immediately after the turn the friction on the right pin gave way and the right side popped open. No worries I thought. Let's just unlatch the canopy and pull it shut. Dumb idea but fortunately not a serious problem. I could get my side back down but my daughter who weighs in at a whopping 90 lbs, could not wrestle hers down. So I contacted the TRACON controller and explains that our canopy had popped open and requested vectors back to KDTO. He asked me if it was an emergency and I said no, not at this time. So we got the vector and during the turn the noise level increased dramatically. Well, I thought this could turn into a really bad day if any unusual lateral aerodynamic loads on the loose canopy were translated to the front hinges. So I reconsidered the declaration and went ahead and requested a 7700 beacon.
We were only a couple of miles from the airport and the approach controller and the tower (KDTO is a class D) were calm and professional, offering advice on nearby airports and winds all the way and asking every minute if I needs any help from them. We arrived at KDTO in short order and landed without incident (no trucks were rolled but they were on standby).
I called the TRACON and talked to the duty manager offering compliments to his controller, noting that while I don't know who it was, he had a thick Boston accent so I told him to convey that there may be a new Red Socks fan in Dallas. He laughed, knowing exactly who I was talking about and thanked me for the compliment. He also heartily endorsed my decision to declare an emergency explaining that it puts the system into a better configuration to handle any unexpected events along the way to getting the aircraft back on the ground.
It all turned out well of course and I never heard from anybody at the FAA. It was a good drill for ATC and it was a good reminder for me to just fly the airplane first, then assess the condition of the aircraft, decide where to go, and then communicate those intentions to ATC, all in that order.
We made sure the latch was fully engaged on the next attempt and it all turned out well for our short hop back home.
The Navion canopy will pop open about an inch and stay there. It's not hard to close. It's actually nearly impossible to open with the normal handle in flight, the aerodynamics want to close it. There's an auxilliary cable (which has not been present in my plane since before I bought it) that you can use to pull the canopy open in flight.
X3 Skier
En-Route
Flying a Champ for the second time, the instructor opened the window wide without me noticing. As I turned on base, a blast of air blew in and took my hat somewhere in the cockpit. After a brief WTFO! Moment, turned final, wind subsided and an unevenful landing.
Cheers
Cheers
zaitcev
En-Route
- Joined
- Sep 30, 2010
- Messages
- 3,257
- Display Name
Display name:
Pete Zaitcev
Here's the old video of a SportCruiser with unlatched canopy:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGv0JqKJse4
The problem, I think is more about the pilot not expecting the problem.
BTW, IIRC a gentleman at SPT, Eddie, flies a SkyArrow and had a canopy open once. On that airplane it opens to the side, so unlike RV-12 there was an immediate tremendous slam when it opened and hung on its cables. At least it didn't go into the pusher prop. Eddie landed safely. I imagine it was even more exciting, because stuff from the cockpit can get ingested by engine, turning a non-event into an emergency.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGv0JqKJse4
The problem, I think is more about the pilot not expecting the problem.
BTW, IIRC a gentleman at SPT, Eddie, flies a SkyArrow and had a canopy open once. On that airplane it opens to the side, so unlike RV-12 there was an immediate tremendous slam when it opened and hung on its cables. At least it didn't go into the pusher prop. Eddie landed safely. I imagine it was even more exciting, because stuff from the cockpit can get ingested by engine, turning a non-event into an emergency.
Last edited: