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19980715027549I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Beech E-90 · Houston, TX · July 15, 1998

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
July 15, 1998 · 20:39 local
Place
Houston, TX
Airport
Sugar Land Municipal/Hull Field Arp
Phase of flight
Climb
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
A8JA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N690G
Reported as
Beech E90
People aboard
5
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
1,700 total150 in this make and model127 in the last 90 days
N690GRegistered now · Beech E-90S/N LW-34 · Built 1972Airframe modelBeech E-90Engine modelU/A Canada PT6A-27-28Turbo-prop

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.

Cabin door departed the aircraft at 4000 feet during climbout approx 7 miles from the departure airport. There were no injuries and only minor damage to the aircrafat. Investigation shows that the pilot in command (PIC) allowed a passenger to close the cabin door so that the pci could start the engines and get the air conditioning started cooling sooner. The PIC, while seated in the cockpit, said he was watching the cabin door warning light on the caution panel, that he depended on it to confirm door close. PIC said he did not check the position of the door handle or any of the view windows after the passenger shut the cabin door. The passenger, operating the door for the first time ever, shut the door as instructed by the PIC and says he checked that the latch pins appeared in the small windows in the door. The cabin door was recovered intact the next day. There was no damage to the latching mechanism, or to any of the latch pins, latch hooks, or door jamb latch rollers, privacy data omitted .

As the FAA filed it

CABIN DOOR DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT AT 4000 FEET DURING CLIMBOUT APPROX 7 MILES FROM THE DEPARTURE AIRPORT. THERE WERE NO INJURIES AND ONLY MINOR DAMAGE TO THE AIRCRAFAT. INVESTIGATION SHOWS THAT THE PILOT IN COMMAND (PIC) ALLOWED A PASSENGER TO CLOSE THE CABIN DOOR SO THAT THE PCI COULD START THE ENGINES AND GET THE AIR CONDITIONING STARTED COOLING SOONER. THE PIC, WHILE SEATED IN THE COCKPIT, SAID HE WAS WATCHING THE CABIN DOOR WARNING LIGHT ON THE CAUTION PANEL, THAT HE DEPENDED ON IT TO CONFIRM DOOR CLOSE. PIC SAID HE DID NOT CHECK THE POSITION OF THE DOOR HANDLE OR ANY OF THE VIEW WINDOWS AFTER THE PASSENGER SHUT THE CABIN DOOR. THE PASSENGER, OPERATING THE DOOR FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER, SHUT THE DOOR AS INSTRUCTED BY THE PIC AND SAYS HE CHECKED THAT THE LATCH PINS APPEARED IN THE SMALL WINDOWS IN THE DOOR. THE CABIN DOOR WAS RECOVERED INTACT THE NEXT DAY. THERE WAS NO DAMAGE TO THE LATCHING MECHANISM, OR TO ANY OF THE LATCH PINS, LATCH HOOKS, OR DOOR JAMB LATCH ROLLERS, ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ .