Holt Herbert L LONG EZ N31939

Summary

On 29 August 2010 at about 15:30 local time, a Holt Herbert L LONG EZ registered N31939, operated by Holt Herbert L, was involved in an accident near Afton, Wyoming, 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

29 August 2010 at 15:30

Classification

Accident

Location

Afton, Wyoming, United States

Nearest airport

Afton (AFO)

Coordinates

43.7089, -110.9422

Aircraft

Holt Herbert L LONG EZ

Registration

N31939

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Holt Herbert L

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Afton → Richfield

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

WPR10CA437

Nobody was injured.

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.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

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.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.