Narrative:

After a normal preflight inspection of our aircraft my copilot and I loaded the baggage into both baggage compartments of the aircraft. We were loading the aircraft at different times and did not see each other doing the loading. I believed I had the baggage all loaded up and secured in the nose compartment, but apparently there was more baggage to be loaded up. I was not at the aircraft when the last of the baggage was loaded on board (by my copilot), but he apparently loaded some more into the nose compartment and shut the door west/O latching it. I walked out to the aircraft and went by the nose to check the propeller ties, and all looked well with the aircraft, including the nose, which I had remembered closing and thought was still closed. I am now not certain whether it was latched or not, because I only looked at it and did not physically touch it, and it was dark out. I may have missed an open door (unlatched but closed) or it may have been partially latched. I cannot now be sure of its condition. Anyway, at the time I thought it was secure and got into the aircraft, started up and taxied out. The 'door unlocked' light, which is supposed to be on anytime any one of the 3 doors isn't latched, went out when we closed the air stair door after boarding the passenger. We taxied out, and all before takeoff checks were normal, and we made a normal takeoff and climb out. We never got any warning lights at all. About 5 mins into the flight I noticed a quick movement off to my left, in front of the cockpit, followed by the noise of an impact somewhere behind me to the left. I could feel a slight vibration on the left side, and surmised that the forward baggage door had come open and had let a bag out into the slipstream, and that it had hit the left propeller as it went by. There was no 'door unlocked' light to substantiate this, but it seemed like what had happened because of the movement I had detected out of the corner of my eye. I could not see that it was open from the cockpit. I returned immediately to hnl and landed uneventfully. Upon taxiing back to the ramp, I could see the left propeller was badly damaged. We disembarked the passenger, and upon lowering the air stair door, the 'door unlocked' light came on for the first time since closing it. Upon leaving the aircraft, we could see the forward baggage door was open, and our mechanics stated that the wiring for the forward door light was out. Several factors contributed to this incident. The lack of coordination on the ramp between myself, my copilot and our ground personnel caused us to not be absolutely certain as to what was being done by the other parties. Also, since the wiring was not intact in the nose compartment of the aircraft, we had no indication of an unlatched door at any time during the flight, and had no backup. And, to a lesser degree, being on a tight schedule and the desire to be 'on time' contributed to a hurried last minute loading of the aircraft west/O having taken time to double check the crew procedures to be sure what we each had or had not done prior to startup. Supplemental information from acn 109079: 'doors unlocked' light never illuminated, no write up or MEL involving said light. Unsure whether 2 latches securing forward cargo door were latched, but probably not latched. Problem: no policy concerning who should perform final pretaxi check of propeller ties, cargo door latches, or chocks--ramp agents normally remove left propeller tie and secure it in forward cargo hold, then latch cargo hold doors which captain is starting right engine and first officer is boarding passenger. When first officer looks at propeller and propeller tie is off, assumes it is secured in forward cargo hold and that ramp agent has secured forward cargo hold. In this instance, captain removed propeller tie and put it in cockpit west/O first officer knowing this. Solution: there should be a policy whereby someone is responsible for performing final secure check of cargo doors and latches, propeller ties, wheel chocks. I'd suggest first officer responsible for rear cargo door latch since first officer won't have to walk away from boarding passenger to check rear door, and ramp agent responsible for forwardcargo door and latches, propeller tie and chocks. Contributing factor: microswitch in forward cargo hold was inoperative, but pilots were never told. Therefore, the 'doors unlocked' light would never illuminate anyway.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: NOSE BAGGAGE DOOR OPENED IN FLT. AIRBORNE BAG HITS LEFT PROPELLER. RETURN FOR EMERGENCY LNDG.

Narrative: AFTER A NORMAL PREFLT INSPECTION OF OUR ACFT MY COPLT AND I LOADED THE BAGGAGE INTO BOTH BAGGAGE COMPARTMENTS OF THE ACFT. WE WERE LOADING THE ACFT AT DIFFERENT TIMES AND DID NOT SEE EACH OTHER DOING THE LOADING. I BELIEVED I HAD THE BAGGAGE ALL LOADED UP AND SECURED IN THE NOSE COMPARTMENT, BUT APPARENTLY THERE WAS MORE BAGGAGE TO BE LOADED UP. I WAS NOT AT THE ACFT WHEN THE LAST OF THE BAGGAGE WAS LOADED ON BOARD (BY MY COPLT), BUT HE APPARENTLY LOADED SOME MORE INTO THE NOSE COMPARTMENT AND SHUT THE DOOR W/O LATCHING IT. I WALKED OUT TO THE ACFT AND WENT BY THE NOSE TO CHK THE PROP TIES, AND ALL LOOKED WELL WITH THE ACFT, INCLUDING THE NOSE, WHICH I HAD REMEMBERED CLOSING AND THOUGHT WAS STILL CLOSED. I AM NOW NOT CERTAIN WHETHER IT WAS LATCHED OR NOT, BECAUSE I ONLY LOOKED AT IT AND DID NOT PHYSICALLY TOUCH IT, AND IT WAS DARK OUT. I MAY HAVE MISSED AN OPEN DOOR (UNLATCHED BUT CLOSED) OR IT MAY HAVE BEEN PARTIALLY LATCHED. I CANNOT NOW BE SURE OF ITS CONDITION. ANYWAY, AT THE TIME I THOUGHT IT WAS SECURE AND GOT INTO THE ACFT, STARTED UP AND TAXIED OUT. THE 'DOOR UNLOCKED' LIGHT, WHICH IS SUPPOSED TO BE ON ANYTIME ANY ONE OF THE 3 DOORS ISN'T LATCHED, WENT OUT WHEN WE CLOSED THE AIR STAIR DOOR AFTER BOARDING THE PAX. WE TAXIED OUT, AND ALL BEFORE TKOF CHKS WERE NORMAL, AND WE MADE A NORMAL TKOF AND CLBOUT. WE NEVER GOT ANY WARNING LIGHTS AT ALL. ABOUT 5 MINS INTO THE FLT I NOTICED A QUICK MOVEMENT OFF TO MY LEFT, IN FRONT OF THE COCKPIT, FOLLOWED BY THE NOISE OF AN IMPACT SOMEWHERE BEHIND ME TO THE LEFT. I COULD FEEL A SLIGHT VIBRATION ON THE LEFT SIDE, AND SURMISED THAT THE FORWARD BAGGAGE DOOR HAD COME OPEN AND HAD LET A BAG OUT INTO THE SLIPSTREAM, AND THAT IT HAD HIT THE LEFT PROP AS IT WENT BY. THERE WAS NO 'DOOR UNLOCKED' LIGHT TO SUBSTANTIATE THIS, BUT IT SEEMED LIKE WHAT HAD HAPPENED BECAUSE OF THE MOVEMENT I HAD DETECTED OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE. I COULD NOT SEE THAT IT WAS OPEN FROM THE COCKPIT. I RETURNED IMMEDIATELY TO HNL AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. UPON TAXIING BACK TO THE RAMP, I COULD SEE THE LEFT PROP WAS BADLY DAMAGED. WE DISEMBARKED THE PAX, AND UPON LOWERING THE AIR STAIR DOOR, THE 'DOOR UNLOCKED' LIGHT CAME ON FOR THE FIRST TIME SINCE CLOSING IT. UPON LEAVING THE ACFT, WE COULD SEE THE FORWARD BAGGAGE DOOR WAS OPEN, AND OUR MECHS STATED THAT THE WIRING FOR THE FORWARD DOOR LIGHT WAS OUT. SEVERAL FACTORS CONTRIBUTED TO THIS INCIDENT. THE LACK OF COORD ON THE RAMP BTWN MYSELF, MY COPLT AND OUR GND PERSONNEL CAUSED US TO NOT BE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN AS TO WHAT WAS BEING DONE BY THE OTHER PARTIES. ALSO, SINCE THE WIRING WAS NOT INTACT IN THE NOSE COMPARTMENT OF THE ACFT, WE HAD NO INDICATION OF AN UNLATCHED DOOR AT ANY TIME DURING THE FLT, AND HAD NO BACKUP. AND, TO A LESSER DEGREE, BEING ON A TIGHT SCHEDULE AND THE DESIRE TO BE 'ON TIME' CONTRIBUTED TO A HURRIED LAST MINUTE LOADING OF THE ACFT W/O HAVING TAKEN TIME TO DOUBLE CHK THE CREW PROCS TO BE SURE WHAT WE EACH HAD OR HAD NOT DONE PRIOR TO STARTUP. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 109079: 'DOORS UNLOCKED' LIGHT NEVER ILLUMINATED, NO WRITE UP OR MEL INVOLVING SAID LIGHT. UNSURE WHETHER 2 LATCHES SECURING FORWARD CARGO DOOR WERE LATCHED, BUT PROBABLY NOT LATCHED. PROB: NO POLICY CONCERNING WHO SHOULD PERFORM FINAL PRETAXI CHK OF PROP TIES, CARGO DOOR LATCHES, OR CHOCKS--RAMP AGENTS NORMALLY REMOVE LEFT PROP TIE AND SECURE IT IN FORWARD CARGO HOLD, THEN LATCH CARGO HOLD DOORS WHICH CAPT IS STARTING RIGHT ENG AND F/O IS BOARDING PAX. WHEN F/O LOOKS AT PROP AND PROP TIE IS OFF, ASSUMES IT IS SECURED IN FORWARD CARGO HOLD AND THAT RAMP AGENT HAS SECURED FORWARD CARGO HOLD. IN THIS INSTANCE, CAPT REMOVED PROP TIE AND PUT IT IN COCKPIT W/O F/O KNOWING THIS. SOLUTION: THERE SHOULD BE A POLICY WHEREBY SOMEONE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR PERFORMING FINAL SECURE CHK OF CARGO DOORS AND LATCHES, PROP TIES, WHEEL CHOCKS. I'D SUGGEST F/O RESPONSIBLE FOR REAR CARGO DOOR LATCH SINCE F/O WON'T HAVE TO WALK AWAY FROM BOARDING PAX TO CHK REAR DOOR, AND RAMP AGENT RESPONSIBLE FOR FORWARDCARGO DOOR AND LATCHES, PROP TIE AND CHOCKS. CONTRIBUTING FACTOR: MICROSWITCH IN FORWARD CARGO HOLD WAS INOP, BUT PLTS WERE NEVER TOLD. THEREFORE, THE 'DOORS UNLOCKED' LIGHT WOULD NEVER ILLUMINATE ANYWAY.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of August 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.