Summary
This document proposes the adoption of a new airworthiness directive (AD) that is applicable to certain Aerospatiale Model ATR42 and ATR72 series airplanes. This proposal would require modification of the handle of the passenger/crew door to change the ``down-to-open'' configuration of the handle to an ``up-to-open'' configuration. This proposal is prompted by a report indicating that, immediately after takeoff, the passenger/crew door opened and separated from the airplane, due to the inadvertent operation of the door handle. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent inadvertent opening of the passenger/crew door during unpressurized flight, or delays in opening the door during an emergency evacuation.