Event Overview
On December 16, 2013, at 1634 central standard time, an experimental-homebuilt Versteeg Zenith 601XL(B) (registration N581SL) was substantially damaged when it collided with terrain shortly after takeoff from Real County Airport (49R), Leakey, Texas. The private pilot, who was also the builder and registered owner, was seriously injured. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
Pilot Account
The pilot reported that shortly after takeoff, when the airplane was about 100 feet above the runway, the canopy "popped" open. He stated that this created a large amount of drag, so he pushed the control stick forward to gain airspeed. The airplane then landed hard, resulting in substantial damage to the motor mounts, both wings, and the fuselage.
Flight Data Analysis
The airplane was equipped with a Dynon Skyview-D1000 primary flight display (PFD). The unit was sent to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) vehicle recorders laboratory, where data from the accident flight was extracted and plotted. The data revealed that the accident flight was about 18 seconds long from departure until impact. The canopy latch was tied into the PFD and recorded the canopy latch becoming unsecured about 14 seconds into the flight.
Postaccident Examination
A Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) inspector conducted a postaccident examination of the airplane and found nothing mechanically wrong with the canopy latch that would have precluded it from properly securing the canopy.