Helpling Helen C TANGO 2 N599WT

Summary

On 4 April 2014 at about 20:20 local time, a Helpling Helen C TANGO 2 registered N599WT, operated by Helpling Helen C, was involved in an accident near Ocala, Florida, United States. One person was on board and one was seriously injured. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

4 April 2014 at 20:20

Classification

Accident

Location

Ocala, Florida, United States

Nearest airport

Ocala International Airport (OCF)

Coordinates

29.1775, -82.2286

Aircraft

Helpling Helen C TANGO 2

Registration

N599WT

Category

Airplane

Year built

2013

Engines

1

Operator

Helpling Helen C

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Ocala → Ocala

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA14LA180

1 person was seriously injured.

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control after the left cockpit canopy opened during takeoff for reasons that could not be determined due to fire damage.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

Witnesses reported that the engine sounded smooth and continuous at "full" power throughout the takeoff. After the airplane climbed to about 20 ft above the runway, the left canopy suddenly "popped open" and began "flapping up and down." The pilot reported that, in response, she reduced the engine power. The airplane then began "porpoising" before it entered a steep left bank and subsequently impacted grass on the left side of the runway in a left-wing-low attitude. The pilot egressed and then crawled away from the airplane and awaited assistance. The airplane was consumed by a postcrash fire. The left canopy was found separated from the airplane outside the fire area. The handle was found in the "open" position. The pilot reported no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. She stated that, although she had used a checklist during her preflight and pretakeoff activities, which included a checklist item to ensure the security of the canopy, she "could never know" if she had failed to secure the canopy latch or if the latch had somehow malfunctioned. Fire damage to the canopy frame and latch point in the fuselage precluded a determination of what caused the left canopy to open in flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.