LettersFromFlyoverCountry
Well Known Member
The NTSB seems to be at it again, guessing on a cause without much reliable information.
It has released a factual (not probable cause, but a well detailed report) into the crash of an RV-6 near St. Cloud MN a couple of years ago.
It points out the canopy and the latching mechanism were consumed by the fire, but it still considered an open canopy as a possible cause:
TESTS AND RESEARCH
The effects of wake turbulence, if any, could not be determined without relative position and time information from radar/recorded data for both airplanes.
The Lancair Legacy Canopy Safety Issue (Thorn 2014) discusses accidents resulting from flight with the upward opening canopies that become unlatched/open in flight for Lancair and not RV airplanes, which also have upward opening canopies. The paper states in part:
"There are several potential root causes of the Legacy's open canopy flight hazard. One is the canopy is large and, if not latched down in flight, it will open to varying degrees and alter the air flow over the tail/stabilizers and under some situations create significant pitch attitude stability and control issues.
Another potential root cause may be the pilot's loss of reliable airplane pitch attitude reference where the canopy's structural frame serves as a key attitude reference line and as the open canopy moves it corrupts the pilot's normal visual pitch attitude reference cues.
It has released a factual (not probable cause, but a well detailed report) into the crash of an RV-6 near St. Cloud MN a couple of years ago.
It points out the canopy and the latching mechanism were consumed by the fire, but it still considered an open canopy as a possible cause:
TESTS AND RESEARCH
The effects of wake turbulence, if any, could not be determined without relative position and time information from radar/recorded data for both airplanes.
The Lancair Legacy Canopy Safety Issue (Thorn 2014) discusses accidents resulting from flight with the upward opening canopies that become unlatched/open in flight for Lancair and not RV airplanes, which also have upward opening canopies. The paper states in part:
"There are several potential root causes of the Legacy's open canopy flight hazard. One is the canopy is large and, if not latched down in flight, it will open to varying degrees and alter the air flow over the tail/stabilizers and under some situations create significant pitch attitude stability and control issues.
Another potential root cause may be the pilot's loss of reliable airplane pitch attitude reference where the canopy's structural frame serves as a key attitude reference line and as the open canopy moves it corrupts the pilot's normal visual pitch attitude reference cues.