# Incident 20240212001039I: Diamond Aircraft Ind Inc DA 40, Buffalo, NY, February 12, 2024

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: February 12, 2024, 17:42 local time
- Place: Buffalo, NY
- Airport: Buffalo Niagara International
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Cruise/Level Flight
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 42.9404° N, 78.7306° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at BUFFALO NIAGARA INTL (BUF), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.9404&lon=-78.7306&mi=10
- Aircraft: N568CA, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N568CA) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 40 (registry code 2990002, https://openairdocs.org/model/diamond-aircraft-ind-da-40) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Lycoming IO-360-M1A+ (registry code 41869, https://openairdocs.org/engine/lycoming-io-360-m1a-plus) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40
- Reported engine: LYCOMING IO-360-M1A+
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 1,300 total, 1,000 in this make and model
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240212001039I

## Narrative

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

THE FOLLOWING IS THE PILOT 'S STATEMENT:

ON 12FEB24 AT ABOUT 1645 EST ME THE PILOT  AND MY (NON-PILOT) PASSENGER  ARRIVED AT KBUF GA RAMP AT ONCORE AVIATION/SIGNATURE AND CONDUCTED A PREFLIGHT.  FLIGHT WAS VFR FOR A SIGHTSEEING TOUR OF THE STADIUM AND POSSIBLE DINNER AT ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^OR RETURN TO KBUF.

I COMPLETED PREFLIGHT IAW CHECKLIST AND DEMONSTRATED THE REAR DOOR TO THE PASSENGER AND VERIFIED CLOSED.  I CHECKED THE REAR DOOR BEFORE DEPARTURE AS FINAL CHECKS AT HOLD SHORT OF RWY 14.  I WAS SEATED IN FRONT LEFT SEAR, PASSENGER IN FRONT RIGHT SEAT.

AT ABOUT 1200 FT MSL A REAR OPEN DOOR ALARM SOUNDED.  THERE WAS NO ADVERSE NOISE NOR WIND AT THIS TIME. I SILENCED THE ALARM.   I WAS ASSIGNED A 230 DEGREE HEADING BY ATC AND CHECKED IN WITH BUF DEPARTURE.

AT ABOUT 1800 FT MSL THE ALARM SOUNDED AGAIN AND WIND/NOISE WERE HEARD.  I ASKED PASSENGER TO TRY TO SECURE THE REAR DOOR, HE WAS UNABLE.  I THEN TRIED TO SECURE THE REAR DOOR.  AS I TOUCHED THE HANDLE, THE DOOR DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT.  WE WERE LOCATED APPROX 6 TO 8  MILES FROM KBUF AIRPORT HEADED TOWARDS ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

I MADE A 180 DEGREE TURN BACK TOWARDS KBUF AND DECLARED AN EMERGENCY.

THE PLANE WAS NORMALLY CONTROLLABLE AND I LANDED ON RWY 32 AND TAXIED TO SIGNATURE GA RAMP AT KBUF.  MET WITH NFTA FIRE AND POLICE FOR REPORTING.

NO INJURIES NOTED TO ME NOR MY PASSENGER

TO MY KNOWLEDGE THE MISSING REAR DOOR HAS NOT BEEN RECOVERED.

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.