# Incident 20240526008939I: Diamond Aircraft Ind Inc DA 40 NG, Charleston, SC, May 26, 2024

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 26, 2024, 20:04 local time
- Place: Charleston, SC
- Airport: Charleston Afb/International
- Damage: No damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Location: 32.8986° N, 80.0405° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at CHARLESTON AFB/INTL (CHS), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=32.8986&lon=-80.0405&mi=10
- Aircraft: N650LA, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N650LA) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Diamond Aircraft Ind DA 40 NG (registry code 2990014, https://openairdocs.org/model/diamond-aircraft-ind-da-40-ng) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: Austro E4-A (registry code 06402, https://openairdocs.org/engine/austro-e4-a) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: DIAMOND AIRCRAFT IND INC DA 40 NG
- Reported engine: AUSTRO E4-A
- People aboard: 1
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Commercial pilot
- Pilot flight hours: 420 total
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20240526008939I

## Narrative

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

EON-DRA MESSAGE TEXT: CHARLESTON, SC (CHS): ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^, DA40, CHS-AQX, DEPARTED RUNWAY 21, AND ONCE AIRBORNE, THE PILOT REPORTED THAT THE CANOPY DOOR SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO CHS AND LANDED RUNWAY 3 WITHOUT INCIDENT. POB: UNKNOWN, INJURIES: NONE, DAMAGE: EXTENT UNKNOWN. 05/27/2024 0004Z

PILOT STATEMENT:

ON SUNDAY MAY 26, 2024, AT APPROXIMATELY 2000 HOURS I WAS DEPARTING RUNWAY 21 AT CHARLESTON INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT (KCHS) IN A DIAMOND DA40 NG ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.  UPON DEPARTURE, I WAS HANDED OVER TO CHARLESTON DEPARTURE AND WAS GIVEN THE INSTRUCTIONS TO FLY TO MY FIRST WAYPOINT THAT I HAD ALREADY PROGRAMMED IN THE G1000. THIS WAS WHEN I NOTICED THE DOOR OPEN INDICATOR WARNING ON.  WHEN I LOOKED BACK AT THE REAR CANOPY DOOR DIRECTLY BEHIND ME, I NOTICED IT WAS CRACKED OPEN AND THE LEVER THAT IS USED TO SECURE THE DOOR WAS PARTIALLY OUT.  SINCE THE AIRCRAFT WAS ALREADY ON AUTOPILOT AND FLY TO ITS FIRST WAYPOINT, I REACHED BACK TO ATTEMPT TO PUSH THE LEVER IN TO CLOSE AND LOCK THE DOOR BUT I WAS UNSUCCESSFUL AFTER THREE ATTEMPTS. ON ONE ATTEMPT THE CANOPY DOOR CAME OPEN, BUT I WAS ABLE TO PULL IT CLOSE FAR ENOUGH TO USE THE FIRST LOCKING HOOK (RED HOOK) TO HOLD THE DOOR DOWN.  AT THIS TIME, I CONTACT CHARLESTON DEPARTMENT, DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND GIVE THE REASON FOR THE EMERGENCY.  AS I WAS TURNING BACK TO THE AIRPORT, THE DOOR OPENED AND FLEW OFF OF THE AIRCRAFT WHILE IN FLIGHT OVER A WOODED AREA (GENERAL AREA LAT= 32.51.51,  LON= 80.06.38).  I ADVISED ATC THAT I WAS MAKING A 180 TO LAND ON RUNWAY 03, WHICH I WAS CLEARED TO LAND. I WAS ABLE TO TAXI OFF OF THE RUNWAY AND TAXI BACK TO THE RAMP WITH NO ASSISTANCE.  OTHER THAN THE REAR CANOPY DOOR, THE AIRCRAFT SUFFERED NO OTHER DAMAGED.  THE DOOR WAS NOT RECOVERED.

## Other reports on N650LA (1)

Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.

- [Incident 20230219003479I](https://openairdocs.org/incident/20230219003479I), Feb 19, 2023: Diamond Aircraft Ind Inc DA 40 NG (N650LA), North Charlesto, SC, Minor damage. On February 19, 2023 at 1030 hours (local),[privacy data omitted], a Diamond, DA-40 struck a traffic cone in the signature aviation parking area causing damage…

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.

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