PLT OF A FOREIGN BUILT MIL JET TRAINER FAILED TO PROPERLY LATCH THE FORWARD CANOPY BEFORE TKOF AND LOST THE CANOPY OF THE ACFT DURING INITIAL CLB OUT. HE MADE A SUCCESSFUL RETURN LNDG.

Narrative

SHORTLY AFTER TKOF; FRONT CANOPY DEPARTED ACFT. NO DAMAGE TO ACFT. CANOPY FELL INTO APPLE RIVER; NOT RECOVERED. DURING ENG START AND CANOPY CLOSING; PLT DISTRACTED BY RAPIDLY RISING EGT; ABANDONED CANOPY CLOSING PROC IN- PROGRESS TO ATTEND TO EGT; AND NEVER COMPLETED CANOPY LOCKING. THIS PARTICULAR ACFT DID NOT HAVE CANOPY-NOT- LOCKED INDICATOR INSTALLED. OTHER ACFT DO/DO NOT HAVE LIGHT. PLT TOOK OFF WITH CANOPY NOT LOCKED. FIX: INSTALL CANOPY-NOT-LOCKED MICROSWITCH AND PROMINENT LIGHT WARNING OF NOT-LOCKED CONDITION. ADD ITEM TO CHKLIST -- 'BEFORE TKOF.' CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATED THAT THE ACFT MAKE AND MODEL WAS A CZECHOSLOVAKIA MODEL L29. THIS MODEL IS NOW OBSOLETE AND SERVED AS A MIL TRAINER FOR THE CZECH AIR FORCE. A FEW OF THE ACFT HAVE BEEN IMPORTED TO THE UNITED STATES AND CERTIFICATED IN THE EXPERIMENTAL CATEGORY. THIS ACFT WAS ONE OF THE EARLY MODELS WHICH WAS THOUGHT TO NOT HAVE A CANOPY UNLATCHED WARNING. HOWEVER; AFTER THE RPTR SUBMITTED HIS RPT; THE ACFT WIRING DIAGRAM REVEALED HOW IT WAS WIRED FOR THE WARNING; BUT NOT CONNECTED THAT WAY AT THE TIME OF REASSEMBLY IN THIS COUNTRY. THE RPTR'S ACFT NOW HAS A WARNING SYS. HE STATED THAT MOST OF THE OTHER LATER MODELS ALL HAD A WARNING LIGHT AND HORN FOR CANOPY UNLATCHED. HE STATED THAT THE CANOPY CAME OFF AT APPROX 140 KTS AIRSPD AND THAT HE SLOWED TO 115 KTS AND CAME BACK FOR LNDG. HE DID HAVE A PAX IN THE REAR SEAT.