Czech Sport Aircraft A S SPORTCRUISER accident near Lanark, New Mexico, March 25, 2022
On March 25, 2022, a 2015 Czech Sport Aircraft A S SPORTCRUISER, registered N823MM, was substantially damaged in an accident during maneuvering near Lanark, New Mexico. It was a personal flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). 1 person had minor injuries. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The pilot’s loss of control of the airplane after the inadvertent unlocking and opening of the canopy for reasons that could not be determined based on available evidence.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 25, 2022
- Place
- Lanark, New Mexico · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- 1 person had minor injuries.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Czech Sport Aircraft A S SPORTCRUISER, built 2015 · all SPORTCRUISERs on the register
- Registration
- N823MM · registry record · serial C0526
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Personal flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The pilot was performing a power-off stall at about 6,500 ft mean sea level during a personal flight. He stated that, as the nose of the airplane dropped, the left canopy latch “let loose.” About 4 to 5 seconds later, the right canopy latch “let go,” and the entire windscreen “popped up like a speed brake.” The airplane’s pitch remained nose down, and the airplane impacted terrain, substantially damaging the left wing and fuselage. Postaccident examination of the wreckage found no preimpact anomalies with the canopy or canopy operating system. Although the pilot reported that the left-side latch came loose before the right-side latch, the examination found that the locking mechanisms engaged and disengaged from both sides of the canopy at the same time when the canopy locking handle was lowered and raised. Examination of the canopy locking system showed that the canopy locking handle required about 1/4 inch of upward movement from the locked and stowed position for the locking mechanisms to reach an over-center position that effectively unlocked the canopy. The accident circumstances were consistent with the pilot’s loss of control of the airplane during flight after the inadvertent unlocking and opening of the canopy. The reason that the canopy locking handle became unstowed during the accident flight could not be determined based on the available evidence from the investigation.
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
- Loss of control in flight during maneuvering defining event
- Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power) during maneuvering
The NTSB's findings
- Aircraft › Aircraft systems › (general) › (general) › Unknown/Not determined
- Aircraft › Aircraft oper/perf/capability › Performance/control parameters › Altitude › Attain/maintain not possible
Pilot
- Certificate: sport pilot, student
- Ratings: single-engine land
- Flight time: 2,160 hours in all; 1,103 in this make and model; 26 in the last 90 days; 5 in the last 30 days; 2,160 as pilot in command
- Last flight review: November 7, 2021
- Medical certificate: Sport Pilot (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: minor injuries
The aircraft
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Rotax 912ULS (piston); 40 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: DNA Santa Teresa NM
- Destination: DNA Santa Teresa NM
- Flight plan: none
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 70°F (21°C), dew point 0°F (-18°C)
- Altimeter: 30.08 inHg
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight 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.
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, the folder of records gathered during the investigation, shown as the NTSB released them (the NTSB redacts some personal details first) and listed under the NTSB's own titles. This site's own text never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number WPR22LA137.