The accident that happened two years ago with a sports plane near Kornhorn was caused by the cockpit hood opening during the flight. The pilot lost control of the aircraft and crashed.
This is stated by the Dutch Safety Board (OVV), which investigated the accident near the Groningen village. The 75-year-old pilot Bonne van den Bos from Kornhorn was killed. He was the only occupant.
The plane suddenly ran into problems over a meadow near Kornhorn on Saturday afternoon, February 13, 2021. The pilot would have tried to make an emergency landing before he hit a tree near his home and crashed.
“Investigation has shown that the cockpit hood, the canopy, had opened during the flight,” the OVV now writes. “The pilot was unable to recover from the loss of control in the short time before the micro light aircraft (MLA) hit the ground. What caused the pilot to lose control remained unknown.”
Medical test
The pilot did not lack experience, writes RTV Noord. In total he had flown 394 hours, of which 168 in the type of aircraft in which he crashed. The PH-4E7, Aerospool Dynamic WT9, had been inspected and approved a month before the accident. Van den Bos himself had also just passed a medical examination.
The Dutch Safety Board considers it very likely that the canopy was not properly closed during take-off. In the past, the hood of the type of the aircraft that crashed in Kornhorn opened more often during flight. The manufacturer already came up with an emergency procedure for such cases in 2008. Two years before the accident, the manufacturer advised to improve the locking of the cockpit hood by means of a safety hook and a sensor.
Overlooked
Vliegclub Fryslân, owner of the plane, was not aware of that information, writes the OVV. “Regular maintenance and inspection of the aircraft by the keeper and associated documentation overlooked the publication of this bulletin,” the report said. And, a little later in the same report: “because of the loose handling of safety” an earlier incident at the flying club did not raise awareness of this danger.”
Vliegclub Fryslân confirms in a response in the Dagblad van het Noorden that there is no fixed protocol for following safety advice.
The OVV thinks this is too noncommittal and is now asking the Minister of Infrastructure and Water Management to intervene. Flying clubs and pilots should be aware that they themselves are largely responsible for the safety of flying such a micro light aircraft, according to the Dutch Safety Board. They must also comply with the regulations. Minister Mark Harbers will announce within ninety days whether he will intervene.
- Pilot crashed plane in Groningen was man of 75
- Sport plane pilot crashed near Kornhorn in Groningen
