Agusta Spa SF 260D accident near Redding, California, August 11, 2005
On August 11, 2005 at about 7:59 pm local time, a Agusta Spa SF 260D, registered N402FD, was substantially damaged in an accident near Redding, California (Redding airport). It was an other work-use flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
the company maintenance personnel's failure to follow a prescribed canopy installation procedures.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 11, 2005 · about 7:59 pm local time
- Place
- Redding, California · Redding · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 1 person was on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Agusta Spa SF 260D
- Registration
- N402FD · no longer on the register · serial 767
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Other work-use flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The airplane's canopy separated from the cockpit during the landing descent, and substantially damaged the empennage. The pilot indicated that he had not experienced any malfunction with the canopy's operation when he initiated the flight, and that the latch was in the closed position when the separation occurred. A subsequent search for the separated canopy was unsuccessful. An examination of the airplane revealed that the leading edge of the left horizontal stabilizer was crushed inward over approximately a 1-foot-long span. Also, the leading edge of the vertical stabilizer was similarly crushed in an aft direction. This was the first flight following the company's removal and reinstallation of a serviceable canopy. The company mechanics suggested that they may not have verified that the canopy's locking pins were positively engaged in the support lugs on the airframe during reinstallation of the canopy.
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
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane single-engine; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,300 hours in all; 800 in this make and model; 30 in the last 90 days; 10 in the last 30 days; 800 as pilot in command; 200 on instruments
- Last flight review: July 1, 2004
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 6,872.7 hours
- Last inspection: 100-hour inspection, July 1, 2005; 25.8 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 2,425 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Lycoming O-540-E4AS (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: FUL Fullerton CA at 5:00 pm
- Destination: RDD Redding CA
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 330° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 100°F (38°C), dew point 37°F (3°C)
- Altimeter: 29.88 inHg
- Observation at 7:59 pm from RDD, 10 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 1 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
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.