Story of self - opened and shattered canopy mid-flight
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Published 2024-06-20
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.
The flight was a distressing experience, filled with noise, breathing difficulties, and impaired visibility. It took me nearly 28 hours to fully recover my vision. Aerodynamically, I’ve experienced some buffet and controllability challenges. Probably the most difficult part was to keep the power in, thus trading my vision and breathing for kinetic energy.
Although due to all the noise it was difficult to hear what my coach was saying on the radio, one thing I've heard loud and clear "just keep flying"
If you are a pilot watching this, I hope that my story serves as a cautionary tale and that you will learn from my mistake.
I regret that it took me so long to share this video footage. It's not easy to put my vulnerabilities out there for you all to see. However, I have come to realisze how important it is to be transparent about our shortcomings and the lessons we learn along the way.
To all my fellow pilots out there, fly safe.
#aviationsafety #learnfrommistakes #pilotlife #flysafe #pilottraining
All Comments (21)
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As an Army Aviation guy, this excellent video really emphasizes the need for head and eye protection in a canopy-style airplane. Very well done - Bravo Zulu!
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I'm a pilot. You made a mistake. You owned it. You've learned from it. You did exactly what you should have done, demonstrating outstanding airmanship in the process. You got the plane back on the ground, no blood, no broken bones, no bent metal. Kudos to you for keeping your cool under extraordinary pressure. And high kudos to you for coming forward and sharing so others may learn from this incident.
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She was exposed to three main dangers after the canopy opened; 1st, any bird hit in the face at this speed could have easily knocked her out . second; breathing at this speed is freakin hard. And finally; her sight reduced by the crazy wind. And yet, she still kept her composure and land safefully. Not many people would reacted the same way. What a Champ.😎
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To me, it looked like the moment the canopy opened, instinct kicked in. Like you said. You were suddenly in a position where the wind prevented you from being able to see properly, as well as breath, not to mention the automatic panic response… but you instantly took control of the situation and did what you had to do. Awesome
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Whoever was playing the piano just kept on going like nothing happened! Amazing
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"In case of emergency, fly the airplane!" Safe landing + self awareness and excellent attitude, 10/10 no notes.
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Omg ,,,I literally jumped and shouted when canopy flipped open my whole family watched you ,,my children cheered when yu landed..You are a bravest and coolest lady I have seen,,extremely intelligent and load of patience,,God bless you with long life,,Best of luck🎉🎉🎉🎉❤
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As a cropduster and aerobatic pilot we have to wear a flight helmet but you don’t have to keep your visor down , but when a hawk or a goose comes through your windshield and shards of glass and bird fills your eyes you learn the hard way why you should always wear a helmet and your visor eye protection down over your face ! Great job on how you handled your situation!!! You are a incredible pilot !! Ps. Please get a flight helmet and keep your visor down! 👍😂
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I am an aviator. First, so glad you suffered no serious injury. Second, you demonstrated outstanding airmanship. ALL pilot should aspire to this. Third, so grateful that you shared this. Incredibly helpful.
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Jesus. Opening my visor on my bike at 80 to scratch my nose is rough. This must have sucked the big suck. And you still got your bird to ground. Bravo, fantastic piloting.
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We are not aviators, but my daddy and I loved your video. Such great confidence. You showed determination and grit and kept yourself alive. Truly inspiring! Middle school doesn’t seem as scary when I see a brave person save her own life. It’s awesome to see women be that courageous!
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Amazing to maintain focus with that crazy amount of wind smashing into your eyes and ears. Bravo to bring it down to Earth safely. Thank you for sharing this with us.
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I don’t think most people realize how impaired her vision was, anything over 40 mph without eye protection is brutal, props to you for staying calm and landing the plane safely 🙏
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Owning your mistakes nowadays is really an honorary thing. Respect.
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I truly hope this incident doesn't take away from your clear passion for flying. Full respect & admiration for handling that with quick & life saving decisions. Thank you for sharing this with the world & making it an example for so many others to see. Life is full of mistakes to be made & not always full of opportunities to correct them. Bravo to you & hope you keep flying where you want to go in this life, which to me, seems to be very high!
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This is the most responsible thing a person in any profession or field can do. She not only put this video out there but also admitted to her mistake and fully articulated the experience without any excuses and took full responsibility for the mistakes made. It’s unfortunate that we don’t have more people like her. Most people would either try to hide it, make excuses or admit to some partial responsibility but will ultimately blame something else. The service she provided here can’t be ignored. People who are interested in flying or learning to fly will spend hours on YouTube watching these videos and guaranteed she just provided an invaluable lesson that no doubt others will think of this video every time they check their canopy locking pin. Seriously, bravo.
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10/10... Rule #1.. fly the airplane... She did... No panic... Just got her back on the ground... No jacking with the canopy frame or anything.. Handled perfect... Bravo...
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Her first instincts were to grab the canopy and then the microphone until she got her bearings and calmed down enough to realize I’m ok and just get it back to the runway. Great video ! Never seen anything like that so up close before in a Plane. I slowed it way down and played it many times. She did a great job. Congrats !
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We're only human. It's hard to come to grips with at times. You did wonderfully. Congrats for keeping your cool and letting others see your mistakes. We all make em, it's just the world is shrowded in this perfect lens. Whatevs, you did great!!!!! much love!!!
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The fact that you still kept your mental calm intact while fighting the extreme windblast, really shows the immeasurable strength you have. We make mistakes it's what makes us who we are. Really Inspiring and helpful, Narine.
