Barrow Ted A ONE EASY N227TB

Summary

On 28 August 2015 at about 00:17 local time, a Barrow Ted A ONE EASY registered N227TB was involved in an accident near Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. One person was on board and one died. The aircraft was destroyed. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 August 2015 at 00:17

Classification

Accident

Location

Battle Creek, Michigan, United States

Nearest airport

W K Kellogg (KBTL)

Coordinates

42.3114, -85.2453

Aircraft

Barrow Ted A ONE EASY

Registration

N227TB

Category

Airplane

Year built

1992

Engines

1

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91: General Aviation

Purpose of flight

Personal

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Battle Creek → Berrien Springs

Aircraft damage

Destroyed

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

CEN15FA386

1 person died.

The pilot’s loss of airplane control due to his diverted attention to the canopy opening in flight.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

The pilot planned to return to his home airport in a homebuilt kit airplane. A witness recorded the airplane taxi from the ramp to the taxiway, and the video showed that the right side of the canopy appeared to be bouncing open slightly as the airplane taxied. A witness reported that, during departure, the airplane rocked side-to-side, and the controller reported that the airplane did not track a straight line during the takeoff and was flying erratically once airborne. Another witness reported that the canopy was open and that the pilot was clearly visible with no glass over his head during the takeoff. An airport security video captured the airplane on the downwind leg when it made a 180-degree turn back to the departure runway, banked in excess of 90 degrees, then rapidly dropped and impacted terrain. However, the video did not provide a detailed view of the canopy. A postcrash fire erupted. The fire consumed a majority of the composite airplane; therefore, a detailed examination of the canopy hinge and locking system was not possible. However, the erratic flying and turn toward the airport just after takeoff is consistent with the pilot's loss of control while trying to make an emergency return to the airport after the canopy opened in flight.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.