Tuesday, July 14, 2015

Search for cockpit canopy which fell to earth from 1,500 feet over Leicestershire, UK

 
Tony Barber, right, on a training flight.

The aircraft pictured before it's cockpit canopy was lost. 



A 10kg aircraft canopy crashed to the ground in Leicestershire last week after the pilot opened it to let in fresh air after carbon monoxide leaked into his cockpit.

Tony Barber, 47, a pilot with 20 years experience, was flying at 1,500 feet over Stoney Stanton or Earl Shilton, near Hinckley last Tuesday at about 2.30pm when the 4ftx3ft perspex canopy blew off in the wind.

It was only by chance that the canopy missed hitting the aircraft's tail which could have sent him plummeting to the ground.

The engineer and part time flying instructor made an emergency landing at the former airfield at nearby Bruntingthorpe in his two-seater kit-built sport aircraft.

He said: "Carbon monoxide leaking into the cockpit was detected by a built in monitor which began emitting an alarm.  I opened the canopy slightly to let in some fresh air.

"The wind got up and blew it off. It was very fortunate that it didn't career backwards and break the tail off or I would have lost control to a large degree."

Mr Barber, who was en route to Sywell airfield in Northamptonshire, from Tattenhill, in Staffordshire, was making his second flight in the aircraft which he bought two months ago.

He added: "I was flying approximately two miles east of Hinckley, around the area of Stoney Stanton or Earl Shilton.

" I was flying over open countryside at the time. I would very much like to find the canopy as it is very difficult to remake.

"It will be difficult to replace and I am hoping to find it rather than get a new one which would be very expensive and made to spec.

"While the Perspex will be shattered the metal frame may be salvageable.  It is probably lying in a farmer's field of corn or something like that."

Mr Barber, of Newmarket, Suffolk, who was alone in the plane, reported the incident to Leicestershire Police and the Air Accidents Investigation Branch the same day.

He added:"I knew Bruntingthorpe was nearby because I had planned my route to fly over countryside rather than any built up areas.

"Investigations are going on into how the carbon monoxide leaked into the cockpit, things like this don't happen regularly, but it's not unheard of. It's why monitors are fitted into aircraft.

"It can happen when you get a crack in the exhaust getting through the firewall into the cockpit.   If it happened in a car you could just stop and get out, but it's not quite so easy when you're flying."

An AAIB spokesperson said: "AAIB is aware and is investigating by correspondence."

If you find the canopy, please call the Mercury newsdesk on 0116 222 4240.

Source: http://www.leicestermercury.co.uk

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