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20240919014699I

Incident · Minor damage
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FAA incident report · Piper AEROSTAR 600 · Hamilton Canada · September 19, 2024

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

Date
September 19, 2024 · 16:30 local
Place
Hamilton Canada
Airport
Hamilton/John C. Munro Int'L
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
Air taxi and commuter (Part 135)
Operator
CSJA
Damage
Minor damage
Aircraft
N52MG
Reported as
Piper Aerostar 600
People aboard
4
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificates
Commercial pilot, flight instructor, private pilot, student
Pilot’s flight hours
1,547 total145 in this make and model194 in the last 90 days
N52MGRegistered now · Piper AEROSTAR 600S/N 6007678061232Airframe modelPiper AEROSTAR 600

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.

The pilot entered the runway environment and closed the top hatch of the door to prepare for takeoff, the top half was left open during taxi to allow more airflow and a cooler cabin. After shutting the door there was no “door unsafe” annunciator on the annunciator panel. The aircraft took off on runway 12 and climbed straight out. At approximately 2,500 feet and 2 miles off of the departure end of the runway the rear passenger tapped the pilot on the shoulder indicating it looked like there was a crack in the back half of the door. The pilot looked down and placed his hand in the area of the door, at which point the top half of the door abruptly swung open and dislodged itself from the aircraft. The pilot's arm came out of the plane with it; however, he was quickly able to pull it back in without any injury. The pilot immediately declared an emergency and made a right turn to enter a left downwind for runway 12 where the aircraft landed several minutes later. There were no injuries to the pilot, or passengers, and after an inspection by the fire crew on taxiway privacy data omitted the pilot taxied back to Hamilton jetport.

As the FAA filed it

THE PILOT ENTERED THE RUNWAY ENVIRONMENT AND CLOSED THE TOP HATCH OF THE DOOR TO PREPARE FOR TAKEOFF, THE TOP HALF WAS LEFT OPEN DURING TAXI TO ALLOW MORE AIRFLOW AND A COOLER CABIN. AFTER SHUTTING THE DOOR THERE WAS NO “DOOR UNSAFE” ANNUNCIATOR ON THE ANNUNCIATOR PANEL. THE AIRCRAFT TOOK OFF ON RUNWAY 12 AND CLIMBED STRAIGHT OUT. AT APPROXIMATELY 2,500 FEET AND 2 MILES OFF OF THE DEPARTURE END OF THE RUNWAY THE REAR PASSENGER TAPPED THE PILOT ON THE SHOULDER INDICATING IT LOOKED LIKE THERE WAS A CRACK IN THE BACK HALF OF THE DOOR. THE PILOT LOOKED DOWN AND PLACED HIS HAND IN THE AREA OF THE DOOR, AT WHICH POINT THE TOP HALF OF THE DOOR ABRUPTLY SWUNG OPEN AND DISLODGED ITSELF FROM THE AIRCRAFT. THE PILOT'S ARM CAME OUT OF THE PLANE WITH IT; HOWEVER, HE WAS QUICKLY ABLE TO PULL IT BACK IN WITHOUT ANY INJURY. THE PILOT IMMEDIATELY DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND MADE A RIGHT TURN TO ENTER A LEFT DOWNWIND FOR RUNWAY 12 WHERE THE AIRCRAFT LANDED SEVERAL MINUTES LATER. THERE WERE NO INJURIES TO THE PILOT, OR PASSENGERS, AND AFTER AN INSPECTION BY THE FIRE CREW ON TAXIWAY ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^ THE PILOT TAXIED BACK TO HAMILTON JETPORT.