- Date
- August 4, 2026, 18:00 UTC
- Place
- Whitehouse, OH · Eugene F. Kranz Toledo Express Airport
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Takeoff
- Aircraft
- N330SBExtra Flugzeugproduktions-Und EA 300/LT
- Defining event
- Takeoff: Miscellaneous/other
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report October 1, 2026
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- Investigation class
- Class 4 - Basic report with no Prelim publish
- NTSB office
- Eastern Region Aviation
- Parties
- FAA/FSDO
- FAA report
- 20260804009009A
- Case key
- 203543
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 ensure the canopy was properly locked before flight, which resulted in the canopy opening during 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 while completing his preflight checks of the airplane, he thought that he had closed and locked its canopy, though he did not push up after locking it as was his usual habit. Shortly after starting the takeoff roll for a local flight, the canopy opened and struck the airplane’s right wing, substantially damaging the canopy. The pilot immediately aborted the takeoff and taxied back to the ramp without further incident. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical malfunctions or failures with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N330SB
- Reported as
- Extra Flugzeugproduktions-Und EA 300/LT
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- LT031
- Built
- 2015
- Airframe hours
- 340
- Engine
- Lycoming AEIO-580-B1A, 315 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Sky Slammer, LLC
- Registered owner
- Sky Slammer, LLC
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Condition · October 5, 2025 · 32 hours before
- Destination
- Same as departure
- Airport
- TOL · Eugene F Kranz Toledo Express Airport, runway 25, 10,600 × 150 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Onboard weather, Stall warning system, ADS-B, Auto-pilot, Electronic flight bag or handheld device
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
- 45
- Injuries
- None
- Certificate
- Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, Without waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- January 16, 2026
- Seat
- Rear
- Restraint
- 5-point
- Flight hours
- 5,470 total · 36 in this make and model · 4,270 as pilot in command · 119 in the last 90 days · 32 in the last 30 days · 0 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 180° at 5 knots
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 81 °F, dew point 57 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.08 inHg
- Observed at
- TOL
- METAR
- METAR KTOL 041752Z 18005KT 10SM CLR 27/14 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP181 T02670144 10267 20156 58011 $
Docket · 3
The files NTSB released with the investigation on October 1, 2026, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 4.6 MB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.