Service difficulty report · Latch · Diamon DA40

Difficulty date
November 24, 2008
Submitted
November 24, 2008
Operation
General aviation
Aircraft
N661DS
Make and model
Diamon DA40
Aircraft serial
40600
Aircraft time
1,050 hours, 1 cycles
Engine
Cont IO360*
Engine time
1,050 hours, 1 cycles
Propeller
Hartzl HCC2YR1
Part
Latch
Condition
Disengaged
Location
Pax Door
Part time
1,050 hours
Stage of operation
CR
How discovered
O
Nature of condition
J
Precautionary procedure
B, A

As reported to the FAA. Reports are unverified, and codes are left as the FAA publishes them.

What was found

AT 10500 FT IN CRUISE FLIGHT, GOT AN AUDIBLE "DING" ON THE G1000 WARNING AND THEN A LIGHT SAYING THAT A DOOR WAS OPEN. BACK DOOR HAD COME OPEN IN FLIGHT. THE DOOR HAD BEEN SHUT AND THERE HAD BEEN NO WARNING DURING PRE-FLIGHT CHECK AND RUN-UP. WAS IN THE RT SEAT AND COULD NOT REACH THE DOOR UNTIL I UNDONE MY SEATBELT. TRIED TO SHUT THE DOOR, BUT DUE THE DESIGN OF THE HANDLE, THERE IS NO WAY TO SHUT THE DOOR. THE SAFETY LATCH WAS ABOUT TO LET GO AND I HELD ONTO THE HANDLE AS LONG AS I COULD. IT FINALLY GOT INTO THE AIR SCREAM AND WAS JERKED OUT OF MY HAND AND THEN THE DOOR DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT. DECLARED AN EMERGENCY AND LANDED.

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