Pilot’s Quick Thinking Saves the Day After Canopy Bursts Mid-Flight: Watch Dramatic Video
She said she experienced some “buffet and controllability challenges,” revealing the “most difficult part was to keep the power in, thus trading my vision and breathing for kinetic energy.”
Narine Melkumjan, a Dutch pilot, encountered a horrifying situation when her aircraft’s canopy unexpectedly opened mid-air. Melkumjan took to social media and shared the terrifying moment where she can be seen struggled to maintain control of her Extra 330LX aircraft.
Melkumjan, on only her second aerobatic training flight from a few years ago, looked visibly distressed in the clip, fighting to keep her eyes open against the strong wind. Despite the sudden opening of the canopy, a transparent enclosure that protects the cockpit, she used all her skills to safely land the two-seater aircraft.
*PLEASE MIND WHEN WATCHING. AT 2:17 MINUTE MARK VIDEO FOOTAGE BECOMES RATHER INTENSE*
A couple of years ago during my second aerobatic training flight of that day, on a very hot summer day, the canopy of the Extra 330LX that I was flying opened in flight and shattered. As you… pic.twitter.com/nLhvDqVnII
— Narine Melkumjan (@NarineMelkumjan) June 22, 2024
“I also made the mistake of going to the training camp right after recovering from COVID, without allowing my body enough time to fully regain strength. Additionally, flying without any eye protection made the flight even more challenging than it already was,” she wrote in a lengthy post on X.
She said she experienced some “buffet and controllability challenges,” revealing the “most difficult part was to keep the power in, thus trading my vision and breathing for kinetic energy.”
Melkumjan acknowledged that the experience could have been avoided had she conducted proper pre-flight checks. She admitted that the canopy locking pin was not properly secured before takeoff.
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