Individually Owned: 150,657
Corporate Owned: 137,281
Girder Field Airport
Aircraft Accident/Incident Report
Pine Bluff, Arkansas 71601
Sunday, May 9, 2010 15:45 CDT
NTSB Narrative Summary Released at Completion of Accident
The airplane was in cruise flight when the right-side hinged cockpit canopy suddenly opened to about a 90-degree up position. The pilot’s headset and several other loose items in the cockpit exited the airplane. The pilot subsequently experienced a “large vibration” in the engine. With the engine producing partial power, the pilot elected to perform an emergency descent. About 4 miles from the airport, the engine experienced a total loss of power, and the pilot executed a forced landing on a busy five-lane road. After missing several vehicles, the airplane struck and damaged the rear of a car and came to rest in a ditch on the side of the road. A postaccident examination of the canopy’s primary and secondary latch system revealed that the secondary latch system exhibited an overstress fracture of the spring steel hook and had separated. The overstress fracture likely occurred during due to the canopy opening; the reason for the inadvertent opening of the canopy could not be determined. The damage to the rear mounted pusher propeller was consistent with debris from the cabin striking the propeller when the canopy opened in flight.
NTSB Probable Cause Narrative
The inadvertent opening of the cockpit canopy during cruise flight for undetermined reasons, which allowed debris to impact and damage the pusher propeller with a resulting total loss of engine power.
Event Information
| Type of Event | Accident |
| Event Date | 5/9/2010 |
| Event Day of the Week | Sunday |
| Time of Event | 1545 |
| Event Time Zone | Central Daylight Time |
| Event City | Pine Bluff |
| Event State | ARKANSAS |
| Event Country | -- |
| Zipcode of the event site | 71601 |
| Event Date Year | 2010 |
| Event Date Month | 5 |
| MidAir Collision Indicator | No |
| On Ground Collision occurred ? | No |
| Event Location Latitude | 341228N |
| Event Location Longitude | 0915825W |
| Event Location Airport | Girder Field Airport |
| Event Location Nearest Airport ID | PBF |
| Indicates whether the acc/inc occurred off or on an airport | Off Airport/Airstrip |
| Distance from airport in statute miles | 3 |
| Degrees magnetic from airport | -- |
| Airport Elevation | 206 |
| Weather Briefing Completeness | -- |
| Investigator's weather source | Weather Observation Facility |
| Time of the weather observation | 1553 Central Daylight Time |
| Direction of event from weather observation facility (degrees) | 137 |
| Weather Observation Facility ID | PBF |
| Elevation of weather observation facility | 206 |
| Distance of event from weather observation facility (units?) | 3 |
| Time Zone of the weather observation | CDT |
| Lighting Conditions | Day |
| Lowest Ceiling Height | 10000 |
| Lowest Non-Ceiling Height | 10000 |
| Sky/Lowest/Cloud Conditions | -- |
| Sky Condition for Lowest Ceiling | Broken |
| Visibility Runway Visual Range (Feet) | -- |
| Visibility Runway Visual Value (Statute Miles) | -- |
| Visibility (Statute Miles) | 10 |
| Air Temperature at event time (in degrees celsius) | 14 |
| Dew Point at event time (in degress fahrenheit) | 8 |
| Wind Direction (degrees magnetic) | 80 |
| Variable Wind Indicator | Wind direction could be determined |
| Wind Speed (knots) | 8 |
| Wind Velocity Indicator | -- |
| Wind Gust Indicator | Not Gusting |
| Wind Gust (knots) | -- |
| Altimeter Setting at event time (in. Hg) | 30.28 |
| Density Altitude (feet) | -- |
| Intensity of Precipitation | -- |
| METAR weather report | Pilot reported Overcast Clouds at an estimated 5,0 |
| Event Highest Injury | Minor |
| On Ground, Fatal Injuries | -- |
| On Ground, Minor Injuries | 5 |
| On Ground, Serious Injuries | -- |
| Injury Total Fatal | -- |
| Injury Total Minor | 6 |
| Injury Total None | -- |
| Injury Total Serious | -- |
| Injury Total All | 6 |
| Investigating Agency | NTSB |
| NTSB Docket Number (internal use) | 29536 |
| NTSB Notification Source | FAA Regional Operations Center |
| NTSB Notification Date | -- |
| NTSB Notification Time | -- |
| Fiche Number and/or location -used to find docket information | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Feb 16 2012 12:05PM |
| User who most recently changed record | johb |
| Basic weather conditions | Visual Meteorological Cond |
| FAA District Office | -- |
Aircraft Involved |
|
|---|---|
Aircraft #1 |
|
| Aircraft Registration Number | N144TJ |
| NTSB Number | CEN10LA245 |
| Missing Aircraft Indicator | -- |
| Federal Aviation Reg. Part | Part 91: General Aviation |
| Type of Flight Plan filed | None |
| Flight plan Was Activated? | No |
| Damage | Substantial |
| Aircraft Fire | None |
| Aircraft Explosion | None |
| Aircraft Manufacturer's Full Name | GROSS |
| Aircraft Model | COZY |
| Aircraft Series Identifier | III |
| Aircraft Serial Number | 452 |
| Certified Max Gross Weight | 1750 |
| Aircraft Category | Airplane |
| Aircraft Registration Class | -- |
| Aircraft is a homebuilt? | Yes |
| Flight Crew Seats | 2 |
| Cabin Crew Seats | -- |
| Passenger Seats | 1 |
| Total number of seats on the aircraft | 3 |
| Number of Engines | 1 |
| Fixed gear or retractable gear | Fixed |
| Aircraft, Type of Last Inspection | Conditional |
| Date of Last Inspection | Jul 4 2009 12:00AM |
| Airframe hours since last inspection | -- |
| Airframe Hours | 600 |
| ELT Installed | Yes |
| ELT Activated | No |
| ELT Aided Location of Event Site | No |
| ELT Type | C91-A |
| Aircraft Owner Name | RICHARD J HUGHES |
| Aircraft Owner Street Address | -- |
| Aircraft Owner City | ISLIP |
| Aircraft Owner State | NY |
| Aircraft Owner Country | USA |
| Aircraft Owner Zipcode | 11751-3218 |
| Operator is an individual? | Yes |
| Operator Name | RICHARD J HUGHES |
| Operator Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Is Doing Business As | -- |
| Operator Address Same as Owner? | Yes |
| Operator Street Address | -- |
| Operator City | ISLIP |
| Operator State | NY |
| Operator Country | USA |
| Operator Zip code | 11751-3218 |
| Operator Code | -- |
| Owner has at least one certificate | None |
| Other Operator of large aircraft? | No |
| Certified for Part 133 or 137 Operation | -- |
| Operator Certificate Number | -- |
| Indicates whether an air carrier operation was scheduled or not | -- |
| Indicates Domestic or International Flight | -- |
| Operator carrying Pax/Cargo/Mail | -- |
| Type of Flying (Per_Bus / Primary) | Personal |
| Second Pilot on Board | No |
| Departure Point Same as Event | No |
| Departure Airport Code | MLU |
| Departure City | Monroe |
| Departure State | LA |
| Departure Country | USA |
| Departure Time | 1510 |
| Departure Time Zone | CDT |
| Destination Same as Local Flt | -- |
| Destination Airport Code | RST |
| Destination City | Rochester |
| Destination State | MN |
| Destination Country | USA |
| Specific Phase of Flight | -- |
| Report sent to ICAO? | -- |
| Evacuation occurred | -- |
| Date of most recent change to record | Dec 30 2011 12:26PM |
| User who most recently changed record | latt |
| Since inspection or accident | Time of Accident |
| Event Location Runway Number and Location | N/A |
| Runway Length | -- |
| Runway Width | -- |
| Sight Seeing flight | No |
| Air Medical Flight | No |
| Medical Flight | -- |