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Accidents · NTSB ERA14LA180 · Final report

Amateur-built TANGO 2 accident near Ocala, Florida, April 4, 2014

On April 4, 2014 at about 8:20 pm local time, a 2013 amateur-built TANGO 2, registered N599WT, was destroyed in an accident during initial climb near Ocala, Florida (Ocala International Airport). It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person was seriously injured. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).

The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged

The pilot's failure to maintain airplane control after the left cockpit canopy opened during takeoff for reasons that could not be determined due to fire damage.

Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.

What the record shows

Date
April 4, 2014 · about 8:20 pm local time
Place
Ocala, Florida · Ocala International Airport · map
Type
Accident
Injuries
1 person was seriously injured.
Weather
visual conditions (good weather)
Aircraft
Amateur-built TANGO 2, built 2013
Registration
N599WT · no longer on the register · serial T021
Damage
Destroyed
Flight
Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)

The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record

Witnesses reported that the engine sounded smooth and continuous at "full" power throughout the takeoff. After the airplane climbed to about 20 ft above the runway, the left canopy suddenly "popped open" and began "flapping up and down." The pilot reported that, in response, she reduced the engine power. The airplane then began "porpoising" before it entered a steep left bank and subsequently impacted grass on the left side of the runway in a left-wing-low attitude. The pilot egressed and then crawled away from the airplane and awaited assistance. The airplane was consumed by a postcrash fire. The left canopy was found separated from the airplane outside the fire area. The handle was found in the "open" position. The pilot reported no mechanical deficiencies with the airplane that would have precluded normal operation. She stated that, although she had used a checklist during her preflight and pretakeoff activities, which included a checklist item to ensure the security of the canopy, she "could never know" if she had failed to secure the canopy latch or if the latch had somehow malfunctioned. Fire damage to the canopy frame and latch point in the fuselage precluded a determination of what caused the left canopy to open in flight.

The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.

The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English

What happened, in order

  1. Miscellaneous/other during taxi
  2. Miscellaneous/other during initial climb
  3. Loss of control in flight during initial climb defining event
  4. Collision with terrain or object (not controlled flight into terrain) during uncontrolled descent

The NTSB's findings

  • Not determined › Not determined › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
  • cause Personnel issues › Task performance › Use of equip/info › Aircraft control › Pilot
  • cause Aircraft › Aircraft structures › Doors › Passenger/crew doors › Unintentional use/operation

Pilot

  • Certificate: private
  • Ratings: single-engine land
  • Flight time: 675 hours in all; 22 in this make and model
  • Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
  • Seat: left
  • Injury: serious injuries

The aircraft

  • Airframe total time: 12.5 hours
  • Last inspection: condition inspection, February 15, 2013; 12 hours since
  • Maximum gross weight: 2,000 lb
  • Seats: 2
  • Landing gear: fixed
  • Engine: Lycoming IO-360 (piston); 12 hours total
  • Fire on the ground

The flight

  • Departed from: OCF Ocala FL at 8:20 pm
  • Destination: OCF Ocala FL
  • Flight plan: none
  • Runway 26, 7,467 ft by 150 ft

Weather at the time

  • Light: daylight
  • Wind: from 280° at 9 knots
  • Visibility: 10 statute miles
  • Sky: a few clouds at 4,100 ft
  • Temperature: 82°F (28°C), dew point 63°F (17°C)
  • Altimeter: 30.04 inHg
  • Observation at 8:20 pm from OCF

Injuries

FatalSeriousMinorNone
Flight crew1

Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report

10 documents, released by the NTSB on February 4, 2015. View them here, or download them; the NTSB redacts some personal details before release, and this site shows the NTSB's own titles rather than its file names.

The same docket at the NTSB · documents without a copy here are fetched from the NTSB when you open them.

Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.