- Date
- May 22, 1993, 10:12 local (14:12 UTC)
- Place
- Lakeland, FL
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Approach
- Aircraft
- N693JSJohn Shufflebarger Zenair Zodiak
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report December 3, 1993
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- FAA report
- 19930522014679A
- Case key
- 33273
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 failure of the pilot-in-command to maintain airspeed after separation of the canopy, resulting in the aircraft entering a stall/mush condition and descending uncontrolled to the ground. Contributing to the accident was the failure of the pilot-in-command to fully lock the canopy before flight.
Sequence of events
NTSB’s coding before 2008: each occurrence and phase of flight, and the causes and factors under it. The codes are defined in NTSB’s coding manual.
Analysis
The pilot stated that while at 150 feet on short final approach the canopy came open on the left side and opened to the right. The canopy then separated. The airspeed inadvertently got low and the aircraft descended. The aircraft then touched down hard at a point 1000 feet short of the runway. The manufacturer of the aircraft kit stated he had flown the aircraft on the previous flight and had no problems with the canopy. He stated the canopy design has had no previous problems or cases of it coming open in flight. He stated the pilot must not have had the canopy fully locked for the flight.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N693JS
- Reported as
- John Shufflebarger Zenair Zodiak (ZENAIR ZOD)
- Category
- Airplane, amateur-built
- Serial number
- 3006
- Airframe hours
- 1
- Engine
- Rotax 912, 80 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal · Part 91
- Operator
- Shufflebarger, John B.
- Registered owner
- Shufflebarger, John B.
- Airworthiness certificate
- Special, Experimental (Special)
- Last inspection
- Annual · April 24, 1993 · 1 hours before
- Departed
- LAL
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
- 41
- Certificate
- Private
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land
- Medical
- Class 3, Valid Medical--w/ waivers/lim
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 180 total · 1 in this make and model · 118 as pilot in command · 7 in the last 90 days · 2 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Wind
- 20° at 9 knots
- Visibility
- 12 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
- Temperature
- 72 °F, dew point 46 °F
- Altimeter
- 30.00 inHg
- Observed at
- LAL, 1 nm away
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.