Helicopter on test flight has pilot door pop open. Cleared to land and return to FBO. Concerned refe...

Narrative:

I was PIC on a routine maintenance flight in a helicopter, flying out of see in el cajon, ca. On board the aircraft was our crew chief, a licensed a and P mechanic, as we were conducting forward flight (main rotor) track and balance vibration analysis, and crew chief was operating the balancing equipment while I was flying. We had been working on this particular aircraft the day before, as well as had made several flts on this particular morning, working to finish the high-speed track and balance check. We had requested the use of runway 17/35 (to avoid the flow of fixed-wing traffic) and requested overflt of the airport at 900 ft MSL, for north and sbound passes. The tower advised us to report on the 180 turn each pass, and that we were cleared to proceed with our maintenance flight. This was one of many flts we had made that morning, and we had been using the 'numbers xy' to stage our departures and arrs from. (The 'numbers xy' is near the FBO and is commonly used by us for an ingress and egress route to the FBO as there are times we have to do prolonged hover checks, and this keeps any blowing dust away from other FBO's on the field). We were headed northbound and as we were about to turn 180 sbound, my pilot's door popped open in flight. The tower frequency was really busy at that point, and we proceeded with our turn and finally got through to the tower and advised them that we needed to cancel our overflt request, and were instead requesting a return for landing right away. The tower cleared us to the FBO (by way of 17/35) and as we slowed and approached a hover, my pilot's door began to fully open from the rotor downwash, and both me and my crew chief's concern was the door would open 180 degrees, and tear off, or do damage to the main windshield, so I elected to set the aircraft down immediately on runway 17/35 (near the numbers 35). I pulled the door shut and again safe-locked it, with reassurance from my crew chief that he'd look at it as soon as we got back to the FBO. We called the tower and they advised us that we were cleared to land at the FBO and I advised them that we had a door pop open on the last run that we had to secure it immediately before proceeding.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: HELI ON TEST FLT HAS PLT DOOR POP OPEN. CLRED TO LAND AND RETURN TO FBO. CONCERNED REF DOOR TEARING OFF, TOUCHED DOWN ON RWY, CLOSED DOOR, THEN HOVER TAXIED TO FBO.

Narrative: I WAS PIC ON A ROUTINE MAINT FLT IN A HELI, FLYING OUT OF SEE IN EL CAJON, CA. ON BOARD THE ACFT WAS OUR CREW CHIEF, A LICENSED A AND P MECH, AS WE WERE CONDUCTING FORWARD FLT (MAIN ROTOR) TRACK AND BAL VIBRATION ANALYSIS, AND CREW CHIEF WAS OPERATING THE BALANCING EQUIP WHILE I WAS FLYING. WE HAD BEEN WORKING ON THIS PARTICULAR ACFT THE DAY BEFORE, AS WELL AS HAD MADE SEVERAL FLTS ON THIS PARTICULAR MORNING, WORKING TO FINISH THE HIGH-SPD TRACK AND BAL CHK. WE HAD REQUESTED THE USE OF RWY 17/35 (TO AVOID THE FLOW OF FIXED-WING TFC) AND REQUESTED OVERFLT OF THE ARPT AT 900 FT MSL, FOR N AND SBOUND PASSES. THE TWR ADVISED US TO RPT ON THE 180 TURN EACH PASS, AND THAT WE WERE CLRED TO PROCEED WITH OUR MAINT FLT. THIS WAS ONE OF MANY FLTS WE HAD MADE THAT MORNING, AND WE HAD BEEN USING THE 'NUMBERS XY' TO STAGE OUR DEPS AND ARRS FROM. (THE 'NUMBERS XY' IS NEAR THE FBO AND IS COMMONLY USED BY US FOR AN INGRESS AND EGRESS RTE TO THE FBO AS THERE ARE TIMES WE HAVE TO DO PROLONGED HOVER CHKS, AND THIS KEEPS ANY BLOWING DUST AWAY FROM OTHER FBO'S ON THE FIELD). WE WERE HEADED NBOUND AND AS WE WERE ABOUT TO TURN 180 SBOUND, MY PLT'S DOOR POPPED OPEN IN FLT. THE TWR FREQ WAS REALLY BUSY AT THAT POINT, AND WE PROCEEDED WITH OUR TURN AND FINALLY GOT THROUGH TO THE TWR AND ADVISED THEM THAT WE NEEDED TO CANCEL OUR OVERFLT REQUEST, AND WERE INSTEAD REQUESTING A RETURN FOR LNDG RIGHT AWAY. THE TWR CLRED US TO THE FBO (BY WAY OF 17/35) AND AS WE SLOWED AND APCHED A HOVER, MY PLT'S DOOR BEGAN TO FULLY OPEN FROM THE ROTOR DOWNWASH, AND BOTH ME AND MY CREW CHIEF'S CONCERN WAS THE DOOR WOULD OPEN 180 DEGS, AND TEAR OFF, OR DO DAMAGE TO THE MAIN WINDSHIELD, SO I ELECTED TO SET THE ACFT DOWN IMMEDIATELY ON RWY 17/35 (NEAR THE NUMBERS 35). I PULLED THE DOOR SHUT AND AGAIN SAFE-LOCKED IT, WITH REASSURANCE FROM MY CREW CHIEF THAT HE'D LOOK AT IT AS SOON AS WE GOT BACK TO THE FBO. WE CALLED THE TWR AND THEY ADVISED US THAT WE WERE CLRED TO LAND AT THE FBO AND I ADVISED THEM THAT WE HAD A DOOR POP OPEN ON THE LAST RUN THAT WE HAD TO SECURE IT IMMEDIATELY BEFORE PROCEEDING.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 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.

Attributes
ACN	217871
Time
Date	199207
Day	Wed
Local Time Of Day	0601 To 1200
Place
Locale Reference	airport : see
State Reference	CA
Altitude	agl bound lower : 500 agl bound upper : 500
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Controlling Facilities	tower : see
Operator	general aviation : corporate
Make Model Name	Helicopter
Flight Phase	cruise other landing other
Flight Plan	None
Person 1
Affiliation	Other
Function	flight crew : captain oversight : pic
Qualification	pilot : cfi pilot : atp
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 92 flight time total : 6000 flight time type : 3000
ASRS Report	217871
Person 2
Affiliation	Other
Function	other personnel other
Qualification	other other : other
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : critical incursion : landing without clearance
Independent Detector	other flight crewa
Resolutory Action	none taken : anomaly accepted
Consequence	faa : reviewed incident with flight crew
Supplementary
Primary Problem	Aircraft
Air Traffic Incident	other

Helicopter on test flight has pilot door pop open. Cleared to land and return to FBO. Concerned reference door tearing off, touched down on runway, closed door, then hover taxied to FBO.