A light aircraft pilot with 50 years flying experience was delayed taking off for three hours after the AAIB closed the airfield for landings and departures because a previous aircraft taking off had crashed into a car and caused an injury to a person on the ground.
After the delay the airfield was opened again and impatient pilots were eager to takeoff. This pilot had forgotten to check his canopy was closed and took off before he realised his error. His aircraft was barely able to maintain flight in this condition and the only option was to land as soon as possible. A similar incident in the same type of aircraft in Australia caused a complete loss of control at 6000 feet when the canopy suddenly unlatched. That pilot and passenger were injured after regaining control within hundreds of feet from the ground and impacting harshly.
Our pilot just managed to maintain flight but he was unable to arrest the rate of descent on the final approach and the result can be seen in my video.