Narin Melkumjan, an aerobatic pilot from the Netherlands, recently shared a video on her Instagram account from a flight she conducted about two years ago, during which the canopy of her aircraft unexpectedly opened mid-flight. Despite the intense wind battering her visor-less face, the cool-headed pilot managed to land safely. She explained that the purpose of sharing the video was to help other pilots learn from her mistakes.
"Two years ago, during my second aerobatic training flight on a scorching summer day, the canopy of the Extra 330LX aircraft I was flying opened mid-air and shattered," Narin recounted. "As seen in the video, it was a challenging experience that could have been avoided if I had performed a proper pre-flight check. The canopy locking pin did not engage, and I failed to notice this during my checks."
"Another mistake I made was returning to training immediately after recovering from COVID-19, without giving my body sufficient time to fully recover. Additionally, the fact that I was without a visor to protect my eyes made the flight even more challenging."
Narin added that it was a tough experience, with a lot of noise, breathing difficulties, and, of course, poor visibility. "Only after nearly 28 hours did my vision return to normal," she wrote. "Aerodynamically, it was very challenging to control the aircraft. Because of the noise, it was hard to hear everything the instructor was telling me over the radio, but one thing I heard clearly—he said: 'Just keep flying.'"
The Dutch pilot wanted to convey a message to pilots watching the video: "I hope my story serves as a warning and that you learn from my mistake. I am sorry it took me so long to publish this video. It was not easy to show the world my vulnerabilities. However, I realized how important it is to be transparent about our limitations and the lessons we've learned along the way."