Agusta SF 260D N402FD

Summary

On 11 August 2005 at about 19:59 local time, a Agusta SF 260D registered N402FD was involved in an accident near Redding, California, United States. One person was on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

11 August 2005 at 19:59

Classification

Accident

Location

Redding, California, United States

Nearest airport

Redding (RDD)

Coordinates

40.3500, -122.2833

Aircraft

Agusta SF 260D

Registration

N402FD

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Other Work Use

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Fullerton → Redding

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

LAX05LA266

Nobody was injured.

the company maintenance personnel's failure to follow a prescribed canopy installation procedures.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The airplane's canopy separated from the cockpit during the landing descent, and substantially damaged the empennage. The pilot indicated that he had not experienced any malfunction with the canopy's operation when he initiated the flight, and that the latch was in the closed position when the separation occurred. A subsequent search for the separated canopy was unsuccessful. An examination of the airplane revealed that the leading edge of the left horizontal stabilizer was crushed inward over approximately a 1-foot-long span. Also, the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer was similarly crushed in an aft direction. This was the first flight following the company's removal and reinstallation of a serviceable canopy. The company mechanics suggested that they may not have verified that the canopy's locking pins were positively engaged in the support lugs on the airframe during reinstallation of the canopy.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.