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20140327003569I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Dassault FALCON 20 F · Memphis, IN · March 27, 2014

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
March 27, 2014 · 00:20 local
Place
Memphis, IN
Phase of flight
Descent
Operating rules
General operating rules (Part 91)
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N404FZ
Reported as
Dassault Falcon 20 F
Reported engine
Honeywell TFE-731-SER
People aboard
2
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
9,500 total1,800 in this make and model30 in the last 90 days
N404FZRegistered now · Dassault FALCON 20 FS/N 473 · Built 1985Airframe modelDassault FALCON 20 FEngine modelHoneywell TFE-731-SER seriesTurbo-fan

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.

On March 27, 2014, at approximately 00:20 local time, a 1985 Dassault, falcon 20, N404FZ, with serial number 473 sustained minor damage when the entry door opened and separated from the aircraft while enroute from bloomington (kbmg), Indiana to jeffersonville, Indiana (kjvy). The aircraft was descending from 9500 feet when the air stair door separated at approximately 7000 feet. There were no injuries to the two airline transport pilots and no passengers were aboard. The aircraft is registered to a corporation and was operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 code of federal regulations part 91 as a personal flight. Night visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for this flight.

According to the pilot-in-command, he shut and latched the door after two passengers were dropped off at the bloomington, Indiana airport. This was verified by pulling the lever to the locked/closed position and verifying that the cabin door light was extinguished on the annunciator panel. As they started their descent into jeffersonville, Indiana the crew noticed/felt a cabin pressure change followed by a loud ?boom? When the door left the aircraft. The aircraft remained stable and all flight controls were operating normally. With jeffersonville being the nearest airport, less than five minutes away, the flight continued to the airport and a normal approach and landing was made.

It was later determined by personnel from Dassault falcon, that the door became unlatched due to the locking mechanism exterior door handle not being fully engaged. This in turn released the door handle from the stowed possition and with the air load on the exterior door handle the door was able to open. It was also determined that the cabin door warning indicator light was inoperative.

The Indiana state police was notified of the missing door by personnel from the indianapolis flight standards district office. It was reported that the door had been found in a field approximately nine miles northwest of the jeffersonville/clark county airport (kjvy) the door was recovered and transported to kjvy.

National transportation safety board (NTSB) was notified and advised that they would not be participating in this incident.

As the FAA filed it

ON MARCH 27, 2014, AT APPROXIMATELY 00:20 LOCAL TIME, A 1985 DASSAULT, FALCON 20, N404FZ, WITH SERIAL NUMBER 473 SUSTAINED MINOR DAMAGE WHEN THE ENTRY DOOR OPENED AND SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT WHILE ENROUTE FROM BLOOMINGTON (KBMG), INDIANA TO JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA (KJVY). THE AIRCRAFT WAS DESCENDING FROM 9500 FEET WHEN THE AIR STAIR DOOR SEPARATED AT APPROXIMATELY 7000 FEET. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE TWO AIRLINE TRANSPORT PILOTS AND NO PASSENGERS WERE ABOARD. THE AIRCRAFT IS REGISTERED TO A CORPORATION AND WAS OPERATED BY THE PILOT UNDER THE PROVISIONS OF 14 CODE OF FEDERAL REGULATIONS PART 91 AS A PERSONAL FLIGHT. NIGHT VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS PREVAILED AND NO FLIGHT PLAN WAS FILED FOR THIS FLIGHT.

ACCORDING TO THE PILOT-IN-COMMAND, HE SHUT AND LATCHED THE DOOR AFTER TWO PASSENGERS WERE DROPPED OFF AT THE BLOOMINGTON, INDIANA AIRPORT. THIS WAS VERIFIED BY PULLING THE LEVER TO THE LOCKED/CLOSED POSITION AND VERIFYING THAT THE CABIN DOOR LIGHT WAS EXTINGUISHED ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL. AS THEY STARTED THEIR DESCENT INTO JEFFERSONVILLE, INDIANA THE CREW NOTICED/FELT A CABIN PRESSURE CHANGE FOLLOWED BY A LOUD ?BOOM? WHEN THE DOOR LEFT THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT REMAINED STABLE AND ALL FLIGHT CONTROLS WERE OPERATING NORMALLY. WITH JEFFERSONVILLE BEING THE NEAREST AIRPORT, LESS THAN FIVE MINUTES AWAY, THE FLIGHT CONTINUED TO THE AIRPORT AND A NORMAL APPROACH AND LANDING WAS MADE.

IT WAS LATER DETERMINED BY PERSONNEL FROM DASSAULT FALCON, THAT THE DOOR BECAME UNLATCHED DUE TO THE LOCKING MECHANISM EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE NOT BEING FULLY ENGAGED. THIS IN TURN RELEASED THE DOOR HANDLE FROM THE STOWED POSSITION AND WITH THE AIR LOAD ON THE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE THE DOOR WAS ABLE TO OPEN. IT WAS ALSO DETERMINED THAT THE CABIN DOOR WARNING INDICATOR LIGHT WAS INOPERATIVE.

THE INDIANA STATE POLICE WAS NOTIFIED OF THE MISSING DOOR BY PERSONNEL FROM THE INDIANAPOLIS FLIGHT STANDARDS DISTRICT OFFICE. IT WAS REPORTED THAT THE DOOR HAD BEEN FOUND IN A FIELD APPROXIMATELY NINE MILES NORTHWEST OF THE JEFFERSONVILLE/CLARK COUNTY AIRPORT (KJVY) THE DOOR WAS RECOVERED AND TRANSPORTED TO KJVY.

NATIONAL TRANSPORTATION SAFETY BOARD (NTSB) WAS NOTIFIED AND ADVISED THAT THEY WOULD NOT BE PARTICIPATING IN THIS INCIDENT.