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20070721825879I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Amtr CH601HD · Rochester, IN · July 21, 2007

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
July 21, 2007 · 15:55 local
Place
Rochester, IN
Airport
Fulton County
Phase of flight
To Aborted (Fixed Wing)
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N601GV
Reported as
Amtr CH601HD
Reported engine
AMTR JABIRU3300A
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
288 total166 in this make and model20 in the last 90 days
N601GVRegistered now · Applefeld Gerald A ZODIAC CH 601 HDS/N 6-3216 · Built 2003Airframe modelApplefeld Gerald A ZODIAC CH 601 HDEngine modelSubaru ALL MDLS A/B4 cycle

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) The pilot and passenger made a full stop landing at Fulton County Airport to refuel. After refueling the pilot and passenger taxied to the approach end of runway 11 and started their take-off roll. According to the pilot he rotated the aircraft off of the ground to an approximate altitude of 8-10' when the canopy suddenly popped open. The sudden opening in the slipstream resulted in the canopy slamming against the fuselage shattering the canopy. The passenger (pilot's wife) said that her husband abruptly pushed the controls forward to bring the aircraft back down. The aircraft landed hard severely bending the nose gear which caused the prop to strike the runway surface, splintering the wooden prop. The aircraft came to rest midway down the runway remaining on the runway. The pilot and passenger exited the aircraft with no injuries. The pilot explained that he had a pre-takeoff procedure to check the canopy and that he did check to see that it was latched. He further explained that there are two pins that are supposed to latch, one forward and one aft. He said that he might not have visually insured that the aft pin was secured properly.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) THE PILOT AND PASSENGER MADE A FULL STOP LANDING AT FULTON COUNTY AIRPORT TO REFUEL. AFTER REFUELING THE PILOT AND PASSENGER TAXIED TO THE APPROACH END OF RUNWAY 11 AND STARTED THEIR TAKE-OFF ROLL. ACCORDING TO THE PILOT HE ROTATED THE AIRCRAFT OFF OF THE GROUND TO AN APPROXIMATE ALTITUDE OF 8-10' WHEN THE CANOPY SUDDENLY POPPED OPEN. THE SUDDEN OPENING IN THE SLIPSTREAM RESULTED IN THE CANOPY SLAMMING AGAINST THE FUSELAGE SHATTERING THE CANOPY. THE PASSENGER (PILOT'S WIFE) SAID THAT HER HUSBAND ABRUPTLY PUSHED THE CONTROLS FORWARD TO BRING THE AIRCRAFT BACK DOWN. THE AIRCRAFT LANDED HARD SEVERELY BENDING THE NOSE GEAR WHICH CAUSED THE PROP TO STRIKE THE RUNWAY SURFACE, SPLINTERING THE WOODEN PROP. THE AIRCRAFT CAME TO REST MIDWAY DOWN THE RUNWAY REMAINING ON THE RUNWAY. THE PILOT AND PASSENGER EXITED THE AIRCRAFT WITH NO INJURIES. THE PILOT EXPLAINED THAT HE HAD A PRE-TAKEOFF PROCEDURE TO CHECK THE CANOPY AND THAT HE DID CHECK TO SEE THAT IT WAS LATCHED. HE FURTHER EXPLAINED THAT THERE ARE TWO PINS THAT ARE SUPPOSED TO LATCH, ONE FORWARD AND ONE AFT. HE SAID THAT HE MIGHT NOT HAVE VISUALLY INSURED THAT THE AFT PIN WAS SECURED PROPERLY.