- Date
- May 13, 2026, 12:30 local (17:30 UTC)
- Place
- Conroe, TX
- Injuries
- 2 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Prior to flight
- Aircraft
- N292MVans RV4
- Defining event
- Prior to flight: Ground handling event
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report July 30, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Central Region
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20260513008259A
- Case key
- 203080
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
Probable cause
The pilot’s failure to properly latch the canopy before flight, which led to the canopy opening shortly after takeoff.
Findings · 2
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, the canopy opened on his experimental airplane because he failed to properly latch it before takeoff. He was unable to close the canopy after it opened and decided to land the airplane straight ahead on the remaining runway. The airplane subsequently overran the departure end of the runway and came to rest in the grass. The engine mount sustained substantial damaged. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N292M
- Reported as
- Vans RV4 (UNDESIGNATED SERIES)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- WB001
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 1,139
- Engine
- Lycoming OX-340-A1B2T8, 177 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 10, 2025
- Departed
- CXO · Conroe, TX
- Destination
- T78 · Liberty, TX
- Airport
- CXO · Conroe North Houston Regional, runway 19, 5,000 × 100 ft, concrete
- Equipment
- Data recorder, Electronic multifunction display, Electronic primary flight display, ADS-B, Angle of attack indicator, Auto-pilot
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 78
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Airline transport, Military, Commercial, Flight instructor
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- BasicMed, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- August 29, 2024
- Seat
- Front
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 17,947 total · 773 in this make and model · 10 in the last 90 days · 1 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 61 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.10 inHg
- Observed at
- KCXO, 4 nm away
- METAR
- KCXO 131739Z VRB03KT 10SM FEW050 29/16 A3010
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.