The pilot reported that during takeoff with a gusting crosswind at the airport in Laural, Mont., he was surprised by the Aviat A-1C-200’s door popping open as the right wing lifted up. He attempted to level the wings, but was unsuccessful.
The left wing tip touched the grass beside the runway, the airplane pivoted around, and the right landing gear collapsed as it made contact with the ground.
The airplane sustained substantial damage to the wing and to the fuselage.
The NTSB determined the probable cause as the pilot’s failure to maintain directional control during takeoff with a gusting crosswind, which resulted in the collision with terrain. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s distraction when the door popped open.
NTSB Identification: WPR14CA076
This December 2013 accident report is provided by the National Transportation Safety Board. Published as an educational tool, it is intended to help pilots learn from the misfortunes of others.
I am an advocate of ‘fly the plane’.
I have also had my share of doors opening in flight and never an issue.
Until the last one…
I went to pick up an Aztec that a friend bought out of annual for a ferry flight back to base.
I had flown 10-some hours of Aztec several years before.
No biggie…
The owner talked me through the flight, I read the manual, rehearsed the ‘gear malfunction’ drill, talked about performance, and ferry permit on hand I boarded the plane, closed the door, and had the owner to marshal me out of the hangar and into the runway.
Check list done, I flew away.
All was good until I was reaching 5K feet and I noticed an amber light on the panel with a faded and barely legible inscription reading: ‘Door ajar’.
Really?
KABOOM!!!
Door propped open really loud and the aircraft went into an immediate right turn!
I initiated a dive and had to apply a fairly good deal of left aileron and rudder to keep the airplane under control. I ended up with the left engine borderline idle and power in the right and I still had to apply left rudder and half left aileron to keep the airplane flying straight.
Not good…
Besides that, I had to land the thing in a stiff right cross wind in a narrow runway, which rendered the event all more much amusing and entertaining.
It ended up being that the latch was broken and we had to leave the airplane behind.
I still wonder what the outcome would have been if the stupid door had opened on take off or had gotten compounded with a right engine failure.
I also noticed that the nose compartment door would get chewed away by the prop if it opens in flight.
Lesson taken: *VERY* careful flying Aztecs now.
Anyone had a door open on a flying Aztec?
Same thing happened to me just once in a 150 Hp Cherokee which has two door latches, rear side and top, on takeoff about 50 feet in the air while still over a long runway. The noise gets your attention and the strong airstream on the curved door holds it about an inch or so open.
I was taught by my CFI in the eventuality to FLY the airplane, go around and land, taxi off the active and re-latch it. It’s too long a reach to attempt closure if alone in the aircraft and also fly the airplane under full control. There was also some loose small debris stirred up that could also distract full attention to what is most important-flying the airplane. TIP- vacuum your aircraft floors periodically to keep them clean.
The pilot of the accident aircraft had this to say (in total) about how he should handle a future abnormal situation where a door that pops open in flight: “Never flying Husky again with winds over 20 Kts.” I think that may be only part of the problem…
A door unlatching anytime is no big deal yet people more often than not react to it as if it is a big deal. It happened to me once when encountering moderate turbulence on climb out from mammoth lakes airport CA. It was a rear door and my 5 year old daughter who was riding next to her mother nearest the door in the back seat came unglued to say the least even though she was strapped in. She still remembers that terrifying moment at age 42 like it was yesterday but it has never discouraged her from flying. The noise from the slipstream was far worse than the tiny crack from the unlatched door which I was able to close by relinquishing control to my 7 year old son (now a licensed private pilot) riding as copilot, turning around facing rearward with my knees on the seat and reaching back to grasp the door, pushing hard to get some opening and then slamming the door latched. The door can’t open in flight much more than a crack due to the aerodynamic force from the slipstream acting on the door.
I don’t think relinquishing control to a 7 year old was a real good idea. That airplane could have completely lost control before you could have reacted. Fly the airplane.
You have be prepared for all situations, bet this one scared the crap out of the pilot….had it happen to me once before, just fly the plane first.
A fairly famous pilot that I idolize once said during an interview for a video I watched. There are three things to do in any perceived flight emergency. Fly the plane, Fly the plane, and lastly Fly the plane. He also noted another issue about crash landings. Never give up, you may be able to lessen the impact issue. fly it all the way to the crash site. That famous pilot is RA “Bob” Hoover, who crashed some 40+ times in testing and air show demonstrations. And he is still alive to talk about it.