MAINT TEST FLT OF SPORT CRUISER LSA ENDS WITH LANDING OFF PAVED SURFACE WHEN CANOPY LOCKING MECHANISM FAILS WHICH COMPLICATES THE PLT'S TASK.

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AFTER MAINT WORK ON THE PROP; I PROCEEDED TO TEST FLY THE SPORT CRUISER TO MAKE SURE THE SETTING OF FULL PWR ON TKOF CLBOUT WOULD NOT EXCEED 6000 RPM REDLINE. USING THE SPORT CRUISER FLT CHKLIST FOR THE FLT; I STARTED THE ENG AND COMPLETED THE CHKLIST IN FRONT OF THE HANGAR. I CLOSED THE CANOPY AND LOCKED THE CANOPY WITH THE TEE-HAND LOCK ON THE PANEL BTWN SEAT BACKS. I CALLED ZZZ GND CTL ON 121.15 MHZ AND REQUESTED TO TAXI TO THE ACTIVE RWY. ZZZ CTLR RESPONDED ACFT NUMBER TO TAXI ON RWY 17. I TAXIED TO RWY 17 HOLD LINE AND CHANGED TO GPM TWR FREQ 128.55 MHZ. I CALLED THE TWR AND SAID I WAS READY FOR DEP FOR A MAINT FLT AND WOULD REMAIN IN THE PATTERN. THE TWR CTLR RESPONDED FOR ME TO HOLD; AS A HELI WAS DEPARTING THE AREA. I RESPONDED THAT I WAS HOLDING FOR RWY 17. AFTER THE HELI CLRED THE AREA THE TWR CTLR ANNOUNCED I WAS 'CLRED FOR DEP; ANNOUNCE BASE LEG.' AS I ACCELERATED TO TKOF SPD; I WAS MONITORING THE INSTS AND RWY. I LIFTED OFF ABOUT 1200 FT DOWN THE RWY AND BEGAN A CLBOUT ABOUT 80 KTS WHEN THE CANOPY STARTED TO OPEN. I PULLED THE CANOPY DOWN BY THE GAS LIFT STRUT ATTACHMENT AND REDUCED PWR TO ATTEMPT TO LAND. I DECIDED I WOULD NOT BE ABLE TO LAND WITH THE ALT AND REMAINING USABLE RWY. I ADDED SOME PWR AND WAS IN SOME DIFFICULTY TRYING TO FLY THE ACFT AND KEEP THE CANOPY FROM GOING COMPLETELY UP WITH THE GAS LIFT STRUTS PUSHING IT UP AS WELL AS THE TURB IN THE COCKPIT. I ATTEMPTED TO KEEP MY SPD TO 80 KTS AND CTL THE AIRPLANE WHILE HOLDING DOWN THE CANOPY. I FLEW A CLOSE PATTERN AND TURNED BASE HOLDING ABOUT 80 KTS AND REDUCED THE PWR. ON FINAL; I TOUCHED DOWN IN THE GRASS L OF THE RWY CTRLINE AS A RESULT OF THE CTL PROBS EXPERIENCED WHILE ATTEMPTING TO MAINTAIN CTL OF THE ACFT BY HOLDING THE CANOPY DOWN WITH THE GAS LIFT STRUT. THE L MAIN GEAR STRUCK THE RWY IDENT SIGN AS I RETURNED TO THE RWY. I CONTINUED ON THE RWY TO THE E MIDFIELD TXWY AND EXITED THE RWY. I THEN TAXIED TO THE MAINT HANGAR AND SHUT DOWN THE ENG. I CHKED THE ACFT FOR DAMAGE. THE L MAIN WHEEL PANT HAD SOME MINOR DAMAGE FROM THE SIGN. THE L FLAP HAD SOME SMALL DENTS AND SCRAPES ON THE UNDERSIDE. WE ARE EXAMINING THE CANOPY LOCK TO DETERMINE WHY IT FAILED. I INSPECTED THE ACFT FOR DAMAGE AND DETERMINED AS A CERTIFIED MECH THAT THERE WAS NO STRUCTURAL DAMAGE OR PRIMARY CTL DAMAGE TO THIS ACFT. THE PROB WAS THE CANOPY LATCH MECHANISM. RECOMMENDATION: A BETTER CANOPY LATCH CTL MECHANISM.