# NTSB CEN21LA395: Klapp Peter A Klapp KR-2S, N729PK, Wadsworth, OH, September 3, 2021 - Type: NTSB accident investigation - Classification: Accident · Fatal · Class 3 · Limited · Final report - Date: September 3, 2021, 10:16 local (14:16 UTC) - Place: Wadsworth, OH - Coordinates: 41.003637, -81.738904 - Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.0036&lon=-81.7389&mi=10 - Phase of flight: [Maneuvering](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases/450) (OpenAirDocs' grouping) - Defining event: [Maneuvering: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) - Highest injury: Fatal - Injuries: 1 fatal - Status: Completed - Report: Approved by Office Director - Investigation class: Class 3 - NTSB office: Central Region - Parties: FAA - Cleveland FSDO - NTSB case key (mKey): 103795 - NTSB case page: https://web.ntsb.gov/investigations/?ntsbnumber=CEN21LA395 - NTSB report (PDF, downloads): https://data.ntsb.gov/carol-repgen/api/Aviation/ReportMain/GenerateNewestReport/103795/pdf - NTSB docket: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=103795 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN21LA395 ## Probable cause A loss of airplane control for a reason that could not be determined based on available information. ## Findings NTSB's coded findings; those marked are part of the probable cause. - [Not determined](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000): Not determined › Not determined · Unknown/Not determined (probable cause); cases with it: [Klapp Peter A KLAPP KR-2S, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md?model=056368S), [All aircraft, 2,247 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/05000000/cases.md) - [Performance/control parameters: pitch control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062022): Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability · Not attained/maintained (probable cause); cases with it: [Klapp Peter A KLAPP KR-2S, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062022/cases.md?model=056368S), [All aircraft, 526 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062022/cases.md) ## Sequence of events The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event best describes what happened. - [Maneuvering: Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330); cases with it: [Klapp Peter A KLAPP KR-2S, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md?model=056368S), [All aircraft, 994 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330/sequence.md) - [Maneuvering: Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240) (defining event); cases with it: [Klapp Peter A KLAPP KR-2S, 1 case](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md?model=056368S), [All aircraft, 5,002 cases](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240/sequence.md) ## Analysis The pilot was returning the amateur-built airplane to the airport shortly after departure. The pilot of another airplane in the area reported that he heard the accident pilot announce that he was returning to the airport due to an unspecified canopy problem. The accident airplane subsequently pitched nose down into a small lake near the airport. Postaccident examination of the recovered components found no anomalies. Portions of the canopy system were recovered, including the left hinge, but the right hinge and latching mechanism were not recovered. It is possible the left or right latching mechanism, which operated independently of each other, failed, or became disengaged; however, no determination could be made regarding the condition of the canopy at the time the pilot communicated the unspecified canopy issue. It is also possible that an open canopy could have affected the airplane’s flight performance. However, due to the unique nature of the amateur-built airplane, the flight control and performance effects of a potentially open canopy during flight could not be quantified. Based on the available evidence, the accident was the result of a loss of control for a reason that could not be determined. ## Factual narrative The pilot owned and constructed the amateur-built airplane, which received its airworthiness certification on June 27, 2019. According to the pilot’s logbook, the first flight of the airplane occurred on November 18, 2020, and the airplane had accumulated 7.3 hours of flight time as of July 31, 2021. The final entry in the pilot’s logbook, dated August 27, 2021, was for a flight review in a different make and model airplane. According to information provided by the pilot’s son, the canopy frame was hinged at its forward end on the left and right sides of the fuselage. The canopy had two latches, one on the left and one on the right side of the canopy. The latch operating handle, which was about midway between the forward and aft end of the canopy, operated a pin that engaged with the bulkhead just aft of the canopy’s rear bow. No data were available to determine the effect of an open canopy on the airplane’s performance. The airplane impacted a small lake about 0.8 miles east of the approach end of runway 20. A pilot in another airplane reported hearing the pilot announce, over the radio, that he was returning to the airport due to a canopy problem. Postaccident examination of the airplane showed fragmentation of the structure. The airplane’s engine was not recovered. The left forward canopy hinge and portions of the canopy bow (with clear plexiglass still adhered) were recovered. The right canopy hinge and canopy locking mechanism were not found. The left canopy hinge pivot bolt remained in place. Examination of the recovered components revealed no anomalies. ## Aircraft - Registration: [N729PK](https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N729PK), registered now, S/N 1216, built 2019 (OpenAirDocs) - Reported make and model: KLAPP PETER A KLAPP KR-2S - Registry model: [Klapp Peter A KLAPP KR-2S](https://openairdocs.org/model/klapp-peter-a-klapp-kr-2s) (registry code 056368S) (OpenAirDocs) - Registry engine: [Amateur-built UNKNOWN ENG](https://openairdocs.org/engine/amateur-built-unknown-eng) (registry code 99999) (OpenAirDocs) - Category: Airplane, amateur-built - Serial number: 1216 - Year built: 2019 - Engines: Chevrolet Corvair 100 horsepower reciprocating - Damage: Destroyed - Flight: Personal, Part 91 - Airworthiness certificate: Special, Experimental (Special) - Airport: 3G3, Wadsworth Muni, runway 02/20, 3,530 × 75 ft, asphalt ## Flight crew As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names. - Pilot; age 74; injuries: fatal; private; airplane ratings: single-engine land; medical: class 3, with waivers/limitations; last flight review August 27, 2021; seat: left; toxicology performed; flight hours: 167 total, 7.3 in this make and model ## Weather - Conditions: Visual (VMC), Day - Wind: 80° at 6 knots - Visibility: 10 statute miles - Temperature: 64 °F, dew point 52 °F - Altimeter: 30.17 inHg - Observed at: KCAK, 14 nm away - METAR: METAR KCAK 031351Z 08006KT 10SM FEW250 18/11 A3017 RMK AO2 SLP213 T01780111= ## FAA reports on this event (1) The FAA's own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date (OpenAirDocs). - [Accident 20210903015269A](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20210903015269A), Sep 3, 2021: Klapp Peter A KLAPP KR-2S, Wadsworth, OH, Destroyed, 1 fatal. Pilot took off southbound rwy 20. Approximately 1 mile from airport made left turn to return to airport. Pilot announced he was downwind to rwy 20 and had a… ## Docket (7 files) The files NTSB released with the investigation on January 6, 2023, on NTSB's docket system: https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket?ProjectID=103795. 16.9 MB in all. - Photos (item 1, PDF, 7 pages, 2.8 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14631324&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Photos-Rel.pdf - Pilot logbook (item 2, PDF, 10 pages, 12.4 MB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14635844&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=2019.2021%20Log%20Book_Redacted2-Rel.pdf - Autopsy memorandum (item 3, PDF, 1 page, 105 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14636089&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Autopsy%20Memo%20for%20Record-Rel.pdf - Toxicological report (item 4, PDF, 1 page, 370 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14631648&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=2021_145_001_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Wreckage release information (item 5, PDF, 2 pages, 200 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14634442&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=Wreckage%20Release_Redacted-Rel.pdf - Roc with witness (item 6, PDF, 1 page, 94 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14634556&FileExtension=pdf&FileName=ROC%20With%20CFI_Redacted-Rel.pdf - ADS-B data (item 7, XLSX, 887 KB): https://data.ntsb.gov/Docket/Document/docBLOB?ID=14923230&FileExtension=xlsx&FileName=20210903_A9C64A_464002884_ADSB-Rel.xlsx From the NTSB's public API. Aircraft are matched to registry aircraft by N-number and event date, checked against the reported serial number, make and model; the registry's history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model. --- 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.