Aircraft suddenly went into an end over end violent roll 100M/ 200m from flight line at approximately 150ft. Battery ejected from aircraft and went through member’s car bumper. Calm and clear sky. I believe the hatch popped open acting as a sudden air brake sending the aircraft end over end sling-shotting the battery.
CHIRP Comment
This report is short and sweet but useful. Not securing the hatch seems to be the pilotās own analysis of the cause of the accident. This is the crewed aviation equivalent of the āhatches and harnessesā moment in pre-take-off checks. Making sure the batteries were secure was the Human Factor element, which in fact led to a design modification on the later version of the aircraft. It is also important to add that in the design there should always be a way of securing any battery, irrespective of whether the hatch is securely fastened.
