Ultralight Open Canopy Crash Landing

[ScudRunner-d95]

[b]Ultralight Open Canopy Crash Landing[/b]



Source: [url=http://frontpage.scudrunners.com/ultral ... h-landing/]Ultralight Open Canopy Crash Landing[/url]

[JW Scud]

The canopy was definitely partially open on the aircraft. A killer item to check before takeoff is that it is latched. I once did an RTO in a Grumman Tiger because I forgot to latch the canopy.

Looking at the accident, the pilot sounded fairly confident during his transmissions indicating either nerves of steel or the feeling that things were under control. Looking at the canopy half open just prior to the accident makes me wonder if there was a significant aerodynamic effect on the aircraft leading to a high sink rate/low airspeed on final. The canopy may have opened further on short final.

Note to self, if this ever happens to me, try not to land near the threshold if the runway length is fairly long for the type involved.

I may be wrong on all this but these are the thoughts that went through my mind when I saw the video.

I t also shows that there is no guarantee that the aft opening style of canopy will remain streamlined if it is unlatched in flight.

[Strega]

Arent you able to fly a Grumman tiger with the canopy open a few inches?

[Chuck Ellsworth]

YES.

[Three Bars]

Sliding canopies are no big deal. Most are designed to be flown in the open position.

Tip up canopies are dangerous because the low pressure above and high pressure behind will prevent you from closing them, and the drag increase is considerable.

Harness, hatches, .....  Pretakeoff checks are generally for the killer items.

[JW Scud]

[quote author=Strega link=topic=6044.msg15957#msg15957 date=1492214781]
Arent you able to fly a Grumman tiger with the canopy open a few inches?
[/quote]


Probably, but I was not even at full power yet so why not just stop, close, and takeoff. If I remember correctly, it was more than a few inches. Don't need to have maps, papers, etc flying around and out of the aircraft just because the aircraft is capable of flying with it open. That being said, good point about the "tip up" canopies possibly being a worse situation to have open. But.....I have flown several aircraft with slide back canopies. Some seem to be not very robust and I would definitely not want them to be open in flight.