# Incident 20120805019699I: Piper PA-34-200, Fort Lauderdale, FL, August 5, 2012

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: August 5, 2012, 08:40 local time
- Place: Fort Lauderdale, FL
- Airport: Fort Lauderdale Executive
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Maneuver
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 26.1973° N, 80.1707° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at FORT LAUDERDALE EXEC (FXE), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=26.1973&lon=-80.1707&mi=10
- Aircraft: N55223, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N55223-2021-01-30) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Piper PA-34-200 (registry code 7103405, https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-34-200) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming I0360 series (registry code 41515, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-i0360-series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: PIPER PA-34-200
- Reported engine: LYCOMING I0360 SER
- People aboard: 3
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport, flight instructor
- Pilot flight hours: 11,450 total, 700 in this make and model, 150 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20120805019699I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

ON AUGUST 5, 2012, AT 0840 EDT, AIRCRAFT N55223 RETURNED TO FORT LAUDERDALE EXECUTIVE AIRPORT (FXE) REPORTING A NOSE DOOR PROBLEM, THE AIRCRAFT LANDED WITHOUT FURTHER INCIDENT.  AFTER CONTACTING EASTERN AIR EXPRESS (1EAA) IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE AIRCRAFT WAS BEING OPERATED UNDER PART 91 FOR THE PURPOSE OF FLIGHT TRAINING WITH THREE PERSONS ON BOARD (1 INSTRUCTOR, 1 STUDENT AND 1 PASSENGER).  THE FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR WAS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, HOLDING A ATP AND FLIGHT INSTRUCTOR RATINGS. THE STUDENT WAS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, HOLDING A PRIVATE PILOT SINGLE ENGINE LAND AND INSTRUMENT RATINGS.  THE PASSENGER WAS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, DESCRIBED AS THE GIRL FRIEND OF ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ IN A TYPE WRITTEN STATEMENT REPORTED THAT AFTER APPROXIMATELY 20 MINUTES INTO A TRAINING FLIGHT THE NOSE CARGO DOOR OPENED WHILE PERFORMING STALL RECOVERIES, THEY DECIDED TO RETURN TO ALERT THE TOWER AND RETURN TO FXE WHERE THEY LANDED WITHOUT INCIDENT AND TAXIED BACK TO HANGER 42.  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ REPORTED THAT THE PREFLIGHT AND TAKE-OFF WAS NORMAL.  DURING A TELEPHONE CONVERSATION ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT THE BAGGAGE DOOR WAS NOT OPENED DURING THE PREFLIGHT AS THERE WOULD NOT BE A NEED TO OPEN IT, HE THOUGHT THAT THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A GLITCH IN THE KEY MECHANISM TO ALLOW THE KEY TO BE REMOVED WITHOUT IT BEING LOCKED.  ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ STATED THAT HE PERFORMED HIS OWN WALK AROUND AFTER ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, HE ALSO STATED THAT THERE WAS NO INDICATION THAT THE DOOR WAS GOING TO OPEN, IE A LIFTING OF AN EDGE, IT JUST POPPED OPEN POSSIBLY DURING THE SECOND STALL RECOVERY ATTEMPT.AN EXAMINATION OF THE DOOR ASSEMBLY AND MECHANISMS DID NOT REVEAL ANY DEFECTS OTHER THAN THE DAMAGE THE DOOR OBTAINED WHILE OPEN IN FLIGHT.  THE DOOR WAS REPLACED WITH A SERVICEABLE DOOR ASSEMBLY AND THE LOCKSET TRANSFERRED FROM THE REMOVED DOOR ASSEMBLY TO THE SERVICEABLE DOOR ASSEMBLY.  THE AIRCRAFT WAS OPERATED PREVIOUSLY TO AND AFTER THIS INCIDENT WITHOUT ANY DISCREPANCIES WITH NOSE BAGGAGE DOOR LATCHING ASSEMBLIES.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

---
OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.