- Date
- May 15, 2009, 16:00 local (May 16, 2009, 00:00 UTC)
- Place
- Birchwood, AK
- Injuries
- 1 uninjured
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Phase of flight
- Enroute
- Aircraft
- N8374TPiper PA-32-301
- Defining event
- Enroute-cruise: Part(s) separation from AC
- Weather
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Status
- Completed · report September 30, 2009
- Report
- Approved by Office Director
- NTSB office
- Alaska Regional Office
- Parties
- FAA
- FAA report
- 20090515047189A
- Case key
- 73913
From the NTSB’s public API. By law, NTSB reports can’t be used as evidence in lawsuits over the accident.
On this page
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 when it was struck by remnants of the cargo door.
Findings · 3
NTSB’s coded findings. Those marked are part of the probable cause; the rest are factors or other findings. Under each, the cases with the same finding.
Sequence of events
The events NTSB coded, in order, by phase of flight. The defining event is the one that best describes the accident. Under each, the cases with the same event anywhere in their sequence.
Analysis
The airline transport pilot was ferrying the airplane under Title 14, CFR Part 91, to an airport to be painted. During cruise flight, the upper portion of the aft cargo door separated from the airplane, striking the horizontal stabilator. The pilot said he believed the door was latched securely prior to the flight. The flight continued to the destination airport and landed uneventfully. An examination of the fuselage-mounted upper door latch by an FAA inspector showed that the upper portion of the latch striker plate was missing, and the door locking mechanism was not properly aligned with the latch. The FAA inspector noted that it appeared that the missing portion of the latching plate had been missing long before the accident, and should have been found on routine maintenance inspections. The upper portion of the door was not recovered. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the stabilator.
Factual narrative
The airline transport pilot was ferrying the airplane under Title 14, CFR Part 91, to an airport to be painted. During cruise flight, the upper portion of the aft cargo door separated from the airplane, striking the horizontal stabilator. The pilot said he believed the door was latched securely prior to the flight. The flight continued to the destination airport and landed uneventfully. An examination of the fuselage-mounted upper door latch by an FAA inspector showed that the upper portion of the latch striker plate was missing, and the door locking mechanism was not properly aligned with the latch. The FAA inspector noted that it appeared that the missing portion of the latching plate had been missing long before the accident, and should have been found on routine maintenance inspections. The upper portion of the door was not recovered. The airplane sustained substantial damage to the stabilator.
Aircraft
- Registration
- N8374T
- Reported as
- Piper PA-32-301
- Category
- Airplane
- Serial number
- 32-8106058
- Airframe hours
- 12,550
- Engine
- Lycoming IO-540 SER, 300 horsepower, reciprocating
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Ferry · Part 91
- Operator
- Carlos Sean N, doing business as Alaska Island Air, Inc.
- Registered owner
- Carlos Sean N
- Airworthiness certificate
- Standard, Normal
- Last inspection
- 100 hour · January 3, 2009
- Departed
- MRI · Merrill Field, AK
- Destination
- PABV · Birchwood, AK
Matched to the registry by N-number and the event date; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.
Flight crew
As NTSB recorded them. NTSB leaves out names.
- Role
- Pilot
- Age
- 60
- Injuries
- None
- Certificates
- Flight instructor, Airline transport
- Airplane ratings
- Single-engine land, Multi-engine land
- Instrument ratings
- Airplane
- Medical
- Class 1, With waivers/limitations
- Last flight review
- October 17, 2008
- Seat
- Left
- Flight hours
- 10,084 total · 2,000 in this make and model · 9,678 as pilot in command · 25 in the last 90 days · 11 in the last 30 days · 1 in the last 24 hours
Weather
- Conditions
- Visual (VMC) · Day
- Visibility
- 10 statute miles
- Lowest ceiling
- None
Docket · 2
The files NTSB released with the investigation on July 7, 2009, on NTSB’s docket system: statements, records, photos and specialists’ reports. 687 KB in all.
FAA reports on this event · 1
The FAA’s own accident and incident reports, matched to the aircraft by N-number and date.
Other investigations on N8374T · 2
Matched to the same aircraft by N-number and date.