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WPR10CA437

2010-08-29 · Afton, Wyoming, United States · None · 1 aircraft · Status: Completed

Airport AFO

N31939 has since been reassigned. It is now registered to a different aircraft (HOLT THOMAS S COZY MKIV, built 2018), which was not involved in this event.

Aircraft involved

Probable cause & findings

The pilot's failure to securely lock the canopy prior to takeoff, which allowed the contents of the cabin to exit the airplane and damage the propeller. Contributing to the severity of the damage was the subsequent fire that ensued.

Factual narrative

The pilot indicated that he performed a normal preflight inspection of his airplane, loaded baggage into the back seat, placed a canvas canopy cover on top of the baggage, and proceeded to takeoff. The pilot had not securely locked the canopy into the closed position. After accelerating to about 70 mph, the canopy partially opened, and the canvas cover exited the airplane. It impacted the pusher propeller and a blade shattered. The pilot aborted the takeoff, but due to vibrations the nose wheel broke off before he was able to stop. During the sequence, the airplane was substantially damaged by the fire. The pilot opined that a fuel line broke due to the severe engine vibration or an impact from the nose wheel. The pilot reported that he performed a normal preflight inspection of his airplane, loaded baggage into the back seat, placed a canvas canopy cover on top of the baggage, and proceeded to take off. The pilot had not securely locked the canopy into the closed position. After accelerating to about 70 mph, the canopy partially opened, and the canvas cover exited the airplane. It impacted the pusher propeller and a blade shattered. The pilot aborted the takeoff but, due to vibrations, the nose wheel broke off before he was able to stop. During the sequence the airplane was substantially damaged by the fire. The pilot opined that a fuel line may have broken due to the severe engine vibration or an impact from the nose wheel. Source: NTSB Aviation Accident Database Retrieved: 2026-02-12

NTSB Findings

FAA avdata. C = Cause, F = Factor.

  • C Personnel issues-Action/decision-Action-Incorrect action performance-Pilot - C
  • C Personnel issues-Task performance-Inspection-Preflight inspection-Pilot - C

Verbatim from NTSB's published report. Source file NTSB_2010_WPR10CA437.txt. Findings + structured fields enriched from FAA avall.mdb. Full investigation docket on data.ntsb.gov ↗.

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