19960815031809I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Piper PA-34-200 · Stevensville, MD · August 15, 1996

Date: August 15, 1996 · 15:00 local
Place: Stevensville, MD
Airport: Bay Bridge Airport
Phase of flight: Final Approach
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N300DE
Reported as: Piper PA34200
People aboard: 1
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 1,400 total300 in this make and model10 in the last 90 days

N300DERegistered now · Piper PA-34-200S/N 34-7770157 Airframe modelPiper PA-34-200

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

Narrative: main passenger door popped open on takeoff. Pilot returned to airport and conducted a visual approach. Upon approaching runway, at approximately 100 feet, the pilot reduced power. The aircraft settled and touched down 5 feet short of the runway. The landing gear suffered minor damage. No injuries. Pilot stated airspeed indicated 110 KTS when he reduced power. He realized that the airspeed indication was in error when the aircraft settled. This was due to the open door causing a pressure differential in the cabin. No further action required.

As the FAA filed it

NARRATIVE: MAIN PASSENGER DOOR POPPED OPEN ON TAKEOFF. PILOT RETURNED TO AIRPORT AND CONDUCTED A VISUAL APPROACH. UPON APPROACHING RUNWAY, AT APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET, THE PILOT REDUCED POWER. THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED AND TOUCHED DOWN 5 FEET SHORT OF THE RUNWAY. THE LANDING GEAR SUFFERED MINOR DAMAGE. NO INJURIES. PILOT STATED AIRSPEED INDICATED 110 KTS WHEN HE REDUCED POWER. HE REALIZED THAT THE AIRSPEED INDICATION WAS IN ERROR WHEN THE AIRCRAFT SETTLED. THIS WAS DUE TO THE OPEN DOOR CAUSING A PRESSURE DIFFERENTIAL IN THE CABIN. NO FURTHER ACTION REQUIRED.