- Date
- September 9, 2018, 12:10 local (18:10 UTC)
- Place
- Denver, CO
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Landing
- Aircraft
- N514RHHalladay Roy Lockheed
- Defining event
- Landing-landing roll: Part(s) separation from AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report March 20, 2020
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- General Aviation Accidents
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20180909013319A
- Case key
- 98276
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 verify that the emergency canopy release was in the correct position when opening the canopy during landing, which resulted in the canopy separating from the airplane and subsequently impacting the empennage.
Findings · 3
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, upon landing, he activated the canopy motor to open the canopy about 2 inches, but the canopy continued to open, separated from the airframe, and struck the empennage. He added that it was standard procedure upon landing to open the canopy slightly to aid in slowing the airplane and egress in a runway excursion event. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that the emergency canopy release, which anchors the canopy to the airframe when the canopy motor was turned on, was inadvertently released during the flight.
Factual narrative
The pilot reported that, it was standard procedure upon landing to open the canopy slightly to aid in slowing the airplane and egress in a runway excursion event. Upon landing, the pilot activated the canopy motor to open the canopy about 2 inches, but the canopy continued to open, separated from the airframe and struck the tail. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the empennage. The pilot reported that there were no preaccident mechanical failures or malfunctions with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. The pilot added that emergency canopy release, which anchors the canopy to the airframe when the canopy motor was turned on, was inadvertently released during the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N514RH
- Reported as
- Halladay Roy Lockheed (T-33)
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 001
- Built
- 2000
- Airframe hours
- 207.8
- Engine
- Allison J33-A35, 5,200 lbs thrust, turbo jet
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Positioning · Part 91
- Operator
- T-33 Aviation Llc
- Registered owner
- T-33 Aviation Llc
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special); Standard, Other
- Last inspection
- Condition · May 22, 2018
- Departed
- APA · Denver, CO
- Destination
- BJC · Denver, CO
- Airport
- BJC · Rocky Mountain Metropolitan, runway 12L, 9,000 × 100 ft, asphalt
- Equipment
- Electronic primary flight display, Electronic multifunction display
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
- 67
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine sea, Single-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- June 30, 2018
- Seat
- Front
- Flight hours
- 25,050 total · 220 in this make and model · 22,000 as pilot in command · 100 in the last 90 days · 25 in the last 30 days · 3 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 90° at 7 knots, gusting 14
- Visibility
- 30 statute miles
- Temperature
- 84 °F, dew point 36 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.06 inHg
- Observed at
- KBJC, 1 nm away
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on November 26, 2019, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 2.2 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.