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Tip-up canopy fatal accident

Captain Avgas

Well Known Member
In October 2014 an Australian registered RV6A crashed catastrophically into a laneway in a densely populated suburb of a major city. The aircraft hit two houses and several cars and the pilot died on impact.

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau investigated the accident comprehensively and subsequently issued a final report. It suggested that the most likely cause of the crash was the tip-up canopy coming open during flight. For those with a tip-up canopy RV this report will be compelling reading. It can be viewed here:

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2014/aair/ao-2014-164/

It is also noted that Vans Aircraft have issued a Service Letter designated "Tip-up Canopy Operation" that features in the New Service Information section of their home page. It can be viewed here:

http://www.vansaircraft.com/pdf/letters/Tip_Up_Canopies.pdf
 
I have reviewed the report and looked at the comments about the canopy opening on the 6 and notice there was reference to a 12 incident as well.

I have had a canopy come open on both a 7 and a 12 - the 7 was ours and was a mistake by me on pre flight, the 12 was during phase 1 testing and was as a result of the owner turning the latch round without my knowledge between flight 1 and flight 2. The single latch of the 12 didn't have the secondary or the latch microswitch fitted as it was a few years ago.

In both cases, the airspeed was moderately quick, the 7 was in cruise at around 120-130kts, the 12 was around 100kts as I was increasing speed to check handling.

In neither event was there a marked change in handling - yes, there was a startle effect, more so on the 7 as I was not expecting anything, on the 12, I was still under flight testing so was expecting the unexpected !

7 - I was with someone who could fly, I transferred control to him, we slowed down and managed to shut and latch the canopy and continue. The 12 floated around a foot up, I managed to catch and hold the canopy but was not able to close and latch it as I was by myself.

With the 12, I ended up doing "The Balloon Dance" trying to hold 3 things with two hands. I eventually found a solution and was able to set up for a glide approach holding the stick and the canopy.

The thing I see is the problem with the initial startle, noise, things flying around etc and perhaps not then continuing to fly the aeroplane. As we all know, they are slippery and if you then add out of trim, startle, etc you could quickly get into a fast descent, or spiral.

A tragic accident, whether it could have been avoided or coped with differently is speculation.

Full and frank reporting of any incident helps us all to review our own flying and ask the big - what if - questions that hopefully keep us safer.
 
Bob,

I know someone who's tested a -6 tipper in flight, and nothing bad happens. Either something broke, or the pilot just failed to fly the plane. Same thing happens in planes with doors; pilot freaks & quits flying.
 
or the pilot just failed to fly the plane. Same thing happens in planes with doors; pilot freaks & quits flying.

The urge to do something like close the open door/canopy, catch the falling (metal sheet/phone/cup/gun/$object), pick up the dropped item in the vehicle, etc. can be extremely hard to resist because it's an almost automatic response. Anyone ever automatically try to catch a dropped kitchen knife before the rational part of your brain kicked in and said "wait, that's a dumb idea!"? Anyone manage to catch said knife before that happened? I know I hit a curb and blew a tire one day trying to keep my lunchbox from sliding off the passenger seat, and it wasn't a conscious act.

It reminds me of all the discussion about pilots "trying to save the airplane". I don't think that's what they're trying to do at all. I think they're trying to not crash, because every instinct we have says crashing = hurting/dying, and every bit of training we get on how to avoid getting hurt by the ground while attempting to alight upon it involves making a proper landing.
 
Every time I read or hear about an accident that happens after a canopy pops open (happened near here recently, experienced pilot in a glider) I remind myself to FLY THE PLANE. I can only hope that if the day ever comes when my stuff is gettimg sucked overbaord, I can actually remember to do it and not follow any number of better pilots before me.
 
Lancairs, too.

There have been a number of Lancair accidents due to tip-up canopy opening in flight. There's an excellent writeup by Valin Thorn at Lancair Legacy Canopy Safety Issue
The Legacy?s canopy, though, can create a catastrophic flight hazard if it is not securely latched for flight. In the Legacy?s flight history to date, there have been seven known flights with the Legacy?s canopy unlatched resulting in three fatal crashes, two crash landings with significant aircraft damage and/or pilot injuries, one aborted flight immediately after takeoff with minor damage, and one flight without incident. There are also two other fatal Legacy accidents after takeoff without enough evidence to draw conclusions as to their cause though flight with an unlatched canopy is a possibility.

Besides losing forward visibility, when the canopy comes up, it blanks the elevator. Bad thing...
 
Mike -- Why did you "hold on to the canopy" during your approach and landing? Were you concerned that it would rise up further than the initial 12" and depart the airframe or interfere with aircraft controlability? What do you think might happen during the approach and landing if one did not hold onto the canopy? Thanks for sharing your experience. -- David
 
Been there done that. Been flying for nigh onto 30 years.
Can't say I'm proud to say this but when giving one of my 6 year old grand kid twin boys their 'first' flight in a small plane "RV-6A" I took off with the canopy unlatched. And that is after he told me as we were taxing up to the fuel plumps to not forget o latch the canopy before we took off. Yup! got distracted!!!
Yea it startled me as the canopy opened at rotation. "Fly the plane" was my only thought. Had to fly 12 miles at 500 feet to clear class C airspace, then climbed to 2,500 and went into slow flight mode full flaps. Got canopy closed and went on our way for the next hour.
I tried to close it before but to no avail. Even screwed up my back muscles trying. That's another story.
Don't even try to close the canopy at any speed except just above a stall. It won't work.
Now for the real "What the is going on moment" I was taking the other twin for a ride 4 days later. And you guessed it. Cruising along 4,500 feet at 190 and enjoying the smoky day here in Washington.
POW the canopy pops open all by itself. Seems the latch system can latch one side and not the other. I says to myself 'Gonna have to fix that NOW!'
This was a no event for me being the second time and at altitude. Just told Dylan to be cool and I'd slow the bird down and close the lid.
Man! now I get the " Grandpa now remember to close the canopy" routine pounded into me by my 6 year old grand kids.
The take away is fly the plane. It flys quite well. I have a habit of securing everything in the cockpit so nothing flew around except a bit of hair.
Thank you Van for designing these great little airplanes
 
The official greeter will be along shortly to welcome you, but allow me to thank you for your story. You remained cool and the outcome was good. Best--
 
Just got home & had a chance to read the ATSB report, and the Van's service letter.

Odd that both mention 'significant pitchdown', when multiple owners report having to extend flaps (causing nose down pitch response) to close the canopy, but no one mentions any flight characteristics change when it pops open. (Other than the 'startle' factor...)

Charlie
 
Read the Lancair report linked above. It's all in there.

The linked articles are RV-specific, and my responses were intended to be RV-specific. Guess I shouldn't have made the reference to doors on certified planes (only mentioned to demonstrate that pilot distraction is more likely than aero issues in an RV).

Sorry :)

Charlie
 
I have had a canopy come open on both a 7 and a 12 ..........

In neither event was there a marked change in handling - yes, there was a startle effect, more so on the 7 as I was not expecting anything, on the 12, I was still under flight testing so was expecting the unexpected !

Vans current Service Letter on Tip-up Canopies suggests that a significant nose-down pitch is a very real possibility if the canopy pops open in flight. It also suggests that different flight configurations may affect the outcome. This would be consistent with some RV pilots reporting minimal change in flight characteristics with others reporting quite severe pitch down. Here is an extract from the Vans Service Letter:

"Field reports indicate that if the canopy does become unlatched in flight, the aircraft will most likely pitch nose down abruptly. The severity of the pitching moment can depend on speed, attitude and weight and balance".

It is interesting that the ATSB report indicated that one of the objects that flew out of the cockpit when the canopy came open was a hand held radio. I am imagining that the amount of wind turbulence in the cockpit required to pick up a portable radio and suck it up and out of the plane must have been immense.
 
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Mike -- Why did you "hold on to the canopy" during your approach and landing? Were you concerned that it would rise up further than the initial 12" and depart the airframe or interfere with aircraft controlability? What do you think might happen during the approach and landing if one did not hold onto the canopy? Thanks for sharing your experience. -- David

David,

Initially, the canopy raised by about a foot, although there was no change to pitch. I spent 5 minutes swapping hands and finding a combination of throttle, holding the stick and stopping the canopy going up and down that meant I was happy that no unexpected pitch changes would occur at slower speed. Just thought it would be safer to hold the canopy during the approach and landing, rather than have it free floating.

The whole thing was reported to Vans and to our LAA with photos, the main cause was that the catch had asymmetric leg lengths, so when swapped 180°, it gave the visual impression of being latched, but when airborne, the aerodynamic forces on the canopy pulled the latch out of the catch and it opened. We are now building 2 RV12's and notice that the catch and secondary and microswitch alert system has significantly increased the safety and robustness of the system.

The RV7 was pure dumbness :rolleyes:

Bob,

I guess on both of mine, I was lucky that there was no pitch down, or if there was, instinct checked it.
 
It is interesting that the ATSB report indicated that one of the objects that flew out of the cockpit when the canopy came open was a hand held radio. I am imagining that the amount of wind turbulence in the cockpit required to pick up a portable radio and suck it up and out of the plane must have been immense.
I suspect it's more likely that this was one of the cases that experienced a significant pitching-down moment, which would have floated the handheld radio (and probably a lot of other stuff) off the seat/floor/wherever. Possibly far enough to carry it out the opening, but at least far enough that the winds took it from there.
 
Canopy latch

Have had canopy pop up twice, once in a 6 and once in a 7. Both times due to pilot lack of attention.😕There was no significant change in flight attitude. Just slowed to 90 kts, held the stick with my knees, pulled down, latched and flew on. Unless there is something extrordinary going on, I don't think it creates a eminent crash situation. IMHO
 
Read the Lancair report linked above. It's all in there.

The linked articles are RV-specific, and my responses were intended to be RV-specific. Guess I shouldn't have made the reference to doors on certified planes (only mentioned to demonstrate that pilot distraction is more likely than aero issues in an RV).

Sorry :)

Charlie

Reading the Lancair report, there was report of pilots of an RV7 that tested the canopy release effects, speeds and pitching. It said that pitch could be affected by pushing it up or pulling it down from a stabilized position. It seemed directly relevant to the topic.

On my fitting of the tip up (-7), I struggled with the design intent. The fitting has to be near perfect between loose and too tight. I did two things, fitted stiff rubber stops to define the "down" condition, then adjusted the latch force to get both sides to latch at the same time. Even a soft rail seal is too much to compress with the flexible latching system, and the bar flexes (torsion) allowing one side to latch but not the other. It could certainly use some design improvement, but IMO it can be fitted to latch well with some attention, and judgement.

On a side note, ensuring the plexiglass at the rear corners had 1/8" clearance to the roll bar base angles, and fitting the stops saved my bacon when the garage door hit the open canopy and closed it for me. Only minor scratches and no damage, except to my underwear.
 
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Vans current Service Letter on Tip-up Canopies suggests that a significant nose-down pitch is a very real possibility if the canopy pops open in flight. It also suggests that different flight configurations may affect the outcome. This would be consistent with some RV pilots reporting minimal change in flight characteristics with others reporting quite severe pitch down. Here is an extract from the Vans Service Letter:

"Field reports indicate that if the canopy does become unlatched in flight, the aircraft will most likely pitch nose down abruptly. The severity of the pitching moment can depend on speed, attitude and weight and balance".

It is interesting that the ATSB report indicated that one of the objects that flew out of the cockpit when the canopy came open was a hand held radio. I am imagining that the amount of wind turbulence in the cockpit required to pick up a portable radio and suck it up and out of the plane must have been immense.

Note that the above quote from the Service Letter says "Field Reports"

Flight characteristics with an unlatched canopy has not ever been tested by engineering at Van's.

Field reports means that some (a couple that I am aware of) reports have been received that indicated an abrupt change in pitch when the canopy opened. Since it has not been formally tested, those reports can't be ignored just because there is other reports to the contrary, but there have been lots of others that indicate nothing notable occurred.

Why the difference? No way to know. It could have been because of very light or no grip on the stick at the time of opening? Because of the light pitch stick forces on an RV, an aerodynamic or pitch trim change that might pitch the nose over a large amount might only take a small amount of stick pressure to counter.

There is a lot of evidence that indicates that with normal input from the pilot, nothing significant occurs other than a lot of noise and wind.
As the Service Letter points out, the goal needs to be to assure that an open canopy doesn't occur by inspection for proper construction, adjustment, and operation of the mechanism, and use of a check list to help mitigate the human factor.
 
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