PiperSport Crash in Florida

[drseti]

Here's another canopy-open accident report, this one last August in an RV-12, from the NTSB database:

The pilot reported that he inadvertently did not secure the canopy latch after entering the cabin. After liftoff, he noticed air entering the cockpit from the unsecured canopy. He stated that he was distracted with securing the canopy as the airplane descended toward the runway. The airplane collided with the runway as he attempted to reestablish a level flight attitude. The airplane subsequently slid off the right side of the runway into a soybean field. The pilot reported that there were no preimpact mechanical malfunctions or failures that would have precluded the normal operation of the airplane. Additionally, he stated that the accident could have been prevented had he focused on flying the airplane instead of attempting to secure the unlatched canopy.

The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as follows:
The pilot's loss of airplane control after liftoff due to his distraction with the unsecured canopy, which he did not lock before takeoff.