# Incident 20110709013239I: Spitaels Walter RV-4, Portsmouth, NH, July 9, 2011

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: July 9, 2011, 09:15 local time
- Place: Portsmouth, NH
- Airport: Pease International Tradeport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 43.0606° N, 70.7803° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs: center of Portsmouth, NH, within about 6 miles (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=43.0606&lon=-70.7803&mi=10
- Aircraft: N459PW, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N459PW) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Spitaels Walter RV-4 (registry code 056284N, https://openairdocs.org/model/spitaels-walter-rv-4) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming O-320-B1A (registry code 42135, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-o-320-b1a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: SPITAELS WALTER RV-4
- Reported engine: LYCOMING O-320-B1A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,500 total, 10 in this make and model, 10 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20110709013239I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

DURING CRUISE FLIGHT OFF COAST OF KITTERY, THE PLEXIGLASS CANOPY OPENED IN FLIGHT, DAMAGING THE BUBBLE AND FRAME.  THE FRAME SKIRT AND RETAINING MECHANISM REMAINED ATTACHED AFT OF THE COCKPIT.  NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT.  THE PILOT REDUCED SPEED AND LANDED AT THE NEAREST AIRPORT (PSM) WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.  THE DAMAGED SKIRT AND FRAME WERE REMOVED AND THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO HAMPTON AIRFIELD (7B3) WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.  PILOT STATED THAT HE MAY NOT HAVE CLOSED AND LATCHED THE CANOPY PROPERLY.  THE PILOT WAS COUNSELED IN THE PREFLIGHT, CHECKLIST AND ATTENTION TO DETAIL PRIOR TO FLIGHT.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.