Incident Overview
On 19 October 1998, at approximately 1300 hours UTC, a Cessna 172C (registration G-ARYI) was involved in an incident at Bishopstoke, near Southampton Airport, while conducting aerial work. The aircraft, which had a single Continental O-300-C piston engine and was manufactured in 1962, was being flown by a 24-year-old pilot holding a Basic Commercial Pilot's Licence with 473 total flying hours (283 on type). One additional person, the photographer, was on board.
After completing a photographic task, the side window detached from the aircraft as the photographer was closing it. The window fell away, resulting in loss of the side window as the only damage to the aircraft. Neither the pilot nor the photographer sustained injuries.
Background and Circumstances
According to the pilot's report, it was common practice to insert a wooden chock in the hinge line of the window while it was open to prevent it from closing during unbalanced turns. Earlier in the day, the photographer had attempted to close the window with the chock still in place. It is thought that the hinges may have been damaged during this operation, causing the hinges to fail during the subsequent attempt to close the window.
Investigation Information
The information for this report was provided by the pilot via an Aircraft Accident Report Form. No further details or analysis were included in the source.