Summary
On March 21, 1989, a Van's/fish RV-4 (N239X) was involved in an accident near Hesperia, CA. The accident resulted in 1 fatal injury. The aircraft sustained substantial damage.
The National Transportation Safety Board determined the probable cause of this accident to be: THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY LATCH THE CANOPY PRIOR TO TAKEOFF AND BY ALLOWING THE AIRCRAFT TO ENTER INTO A STALL DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLIGHT AT AN ATTITUDE INSUFFICIENT TO RECOVER SAFELY. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LOSS OF HIS EYEGLASSES WHEN THE CANOPY DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT.
This accident is documented in NTSB report LAX89DUG03. AviatorDB cross-references NTSB investigation data with FAA registry records to provide comprehensive safety information for aircraft N239X.
Accident Details
Probable Cause and Findings
THE PILOT'S FAILURE TO PROPERLY LATCH THE CANOPY PRIOR TO TAKEOFF AND BY ALLOWING THE AIRCRAFT TO ENTER INTO A STALL DURING A CRITICAL PHASE OF FLIGHT AT AN ATTITUDE INSUFFICIENT TO RECOVER SAFELY. A FACTOR IN THE ACCIDENT WAS THE LOSS OF HIS EYEGLASSES WHEN THE CANOPY DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT.
Aircraft Information
Registered Owner (Historical)
Data Source
Data provided by the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). For more information on this event, visit the NTSB Records Search website. NTSB# LAX89DUG03