NTSB Factual Report

On October 27, 2015, about 1311 Pacific daylight time, a Zodiac 601XL airplane, N467SD, impacted the runway during an aborted takeoff at the Hemet-Ryan Airport (HMT), Hemet, California. The solo sport pilot sustained serious injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provision of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a personal cross-country flight. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed.

According to the pilot, after completing the before takeoff checks, he initiated the takeoff roll, rotated and climbed to about 80 feet above ground level (AGL) when the canopy opened. He reported that the canopy began "bobbing up and down" as he aborted the takeoff and landed on the remaining portion of the runway he had just departed. As the pilot descended to the runway with canopy flapping up and down, he reported that he, "lost perspective" and the airplane impacted the runway hard. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the fuselage and wings.

When asked by the NTSB investigator-in-charge (IIC) if he explicitly recalled securing the two latches that secure the canopy, prior to takeoff, the pilot replied that he could not recall.

The pilot reported that he used a checklist to perform the before takeoff checks, but could not recall if the checklist explicitly called for securing the canopy. At the time of the conversation the pilot did not have access to the checklist.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Aviation Safety Inspector (ASI) that examined the airplane at the accident site and conducted the initial interview with the pilot reported that the pilot remarked that his canopy was intentionally unlocked and open, in order to allow fresh and cool air into the flight deck while he was taxiing to the take-off position and couldn't recall if he had locked the canopy prior to beginning the take-off roll. During the interview, the FAA ASI asked the pilot, "If he utilized a checklist that had the canopy as one of the checklist items, the pilot stated that he used a mental checklist."

Photographs provided by the FAA showed that the canopy latches and door handle used to secure the canopy appeared undamaged and functional.

NTSB Probable Cause

The pilot's failure to maintain the airplane's descent rate during a precautionary landing, which resulted in hard landing. Contributing to the accident was the pilot's failure to secure the canopy before takeoff, which precipitated the precautionary landing.