# Cargo/baggage doors - Type: NTSB finding subsection - Path: [Aircraft](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01) › [Aircraft structures](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/0103) › [Doors](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/010352) › Cargo/baggage doors - NTSB code: 01035230 - Cases: 9 - In the probable cause: 7 - Fatal cases: 5 - All cases: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035230/cases.md - Cases with it in the probable cause: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035230/cases.md?cause=1 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01035230 ## Cases per year (in the probable cause / all) - 2008: 2 / 2 - 2009: 1 / 1 - 2012: 1 / 1 - 2016: 1 / 2 - 2021: 1 / 2 - 2025: 1 / 1 ## Defining events in these cases - [Miscellaneous/other](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/900): 2 cases - [Part(s) separation from AC](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/338): 2 cases - [Sys/Comp malf/fail (non-power)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/330): 1 cases - [Runway excursion](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/300): 1 cases - [Aerodynamic stall/spin](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/241): 1 cases - [Loss of control in flight](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/240): 1 cases - [Fire/smoke (non-impact)](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events/150): 1 cases ## Aircraft models (registry) - [Piper PA-32RT-300](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32rt-300): 1 cases - [Piper PA-32R-300](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32r-300): 1 cases - [Piper PA-32-301](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-32-301): 1 cases - [Piper PA-31-350](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-31-350): 1 cases - [Mooney M20K](https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20k): 1 cases - [Mooney M20J](https://openairdocs.org/model/mooney-m20j): 1 cases - [Cessna 340](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-340): 1 cases - [Cessna 207A](https://openairdocs.org/model/cessna-207a): 1 cases - [British Aerospace BAE JETSTREAM 3101](https://openairdocs.org/model/british-aerospace-bae-jetstream-3101): 1 cases ## Other findings in the same cases - [Aircraft control](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063040) (Personnel issues): 3 cases - [Forgotten action/omission](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041035) (Personnel issues): 3 cases - [Airspeed](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062010) (Aircraft): 3 cases - [Decision making/judgment](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02041520) (Personnel issues): 2 cases - [Attention](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02021510) (Personnel issues): 2 cases - [Angle of attack](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/01062042) (Aircraft): 2 cases - [Emergency proc training](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/04031030) (Organizational issues): 1 cases - [Availability of policy/proc](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/04021010) (Organizational issues): 1 cases - [Thunderstorm](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/03033010) (Environmental issues): 1 cases - [Use of equip/system](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings/02063015) (Personnel issues): 1 cases ## Newest cases - [NTSB ERA25FA201](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA25FA201), May 10, 2025: Piper PA32RT (N30689), Yulee, FL, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s exceedance of the airplane’s critical angle of attack during takeoff, which resulted in a stall/spin at an altitude too low for recovery. Contributing to the accident was the opening of… - [NTSB ERA22FA095](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA22FA095), Dec 26, 2021: Mooney M20J (N3707H), Jacksonville, FL, substantial damage, 2 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot’s failure to maintain airspeed during initial climb, which resulted in an aerodynamic stall/spin. Contributing was the pilot’s likely distraction due to the opening of the baggage door. - [NTSB ERA21LA371](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ERA21LA371), Jul 27, 2021: Mooney M20K (N110CG), New Shoreham, RI, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot’s improper decision to reject the takeoff at an excessive speed, resulting in a runway excursion and collision with a fence. Contributing to the accident was the pilot’s failure to lock the… - [NTSB CEN17FA045](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN17FA045), Dec 1, 2016: Cessna 340 (N123KK), Fargo, ND, destroyed, 1 fatal. Probable cause: The loose fuel fitting on the combustion heater that leaked a lean fuel-air mixture into the nose baggage compartment. The mixture was most likely ignited by the combustion heater, blowing off the… - [NTSB CEN16FA261](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN16FA261), Jul 8, 2016: Piper PA 32R-300 (N32KK), Houston, TX, destroyed, 4 fatal. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to maintain adequate airspeed after becoming distracted by the open baggage door while operating in the airport traffic pattern, which resulted in the airplane exceeding its… - [NTSB CEN12IA592](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/CEN12IA592), Aug 29, 2012: British Aerospace BAE Jetstream 3101 (N695MA), Kansas City, MO, incident, minor damage. Probable cause: The flight crew’s failure to ensure that the cargo door was properly fastened before departure. - [NTSB ANC09CA048](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC09CA048), May 16, 2009: Piper PA-32-301 (N8374T), Birchwood, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The failure of maintenance personnel to properly maintain the cargo door latch, resulting in an in-flight opening and separation of the cargo door, and substantial damage to the horizontal stabilator… - [NTSB ANC09LA017](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC09LA017), Dec 31, 2008: Cessna 207A (N39AK), Hoonah, AK, substantial damage. Probable cause: The pilot's failure to ensure that the aft cargo door was properly latched and locked prior to departure, which resulted in an in-flight opening of the aft cargo door and subsequent damage to the… - [NTSB ANC08MA038](https://openairdocs.org/ntsb/ANC08MA038), Jan 5, 2008: Piper PA-31-350 (N509FN), Kodiak, AK, substantial damage, 6 fatal. Probable cause: The failure of company maintenance personnel to ensure that the airplane's nose baggage door latching mechanism was properly configured and maintained, resulting in an inadvertent opening of the nose… NTSB has coded findings and defining events since 2008; earlier cases used its older occurrence and cause codes and aren't counted. Findings: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-findings.md. Defining events: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-events.md. Phases of flight: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb-phases.md. Every investigation, filtered by finding, event, phase, state, year or model: https://openairdocs.org/ntsb.md (for example ?state=MI&fatal=1). NTSB's definitions: Accident and incident, 49 CFR 830.2 (https://www.ecfr.gov/current/title-49/subtitle-B/chapter-VIII/part-830/subpart-A/section-830.2), CICTT occurrence categories (PDF) (https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/data/Documents/datafiles/OccurrenceCategoryDefinitions.pdf), CICTT phases of flight (PDF) (https://www.ntsb.gov/safety/data/Documents/datafiles/PhaseofFlightDefinitions.pdf), and NTSB coding manual, before 2008 (PDF) (https://www.ntsb.gov/GILS/Documents/codman.pdf). NTSB publishes no definitions for its findings, only their names. --- 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.