Narrative:

62 passenger and 4 crew escaped injury when the main cabin door with stairs flew open shortly after takeoff (approximately 200 ft). The pilot skillfully remained in control climbing to a safe altitude, and circling the airport once to allow rescue vehicles to race to the scene and then landed. Upon touchdown, the pilot held the nose up as long as possible, and as the nose settled the door moved upward about the hinge to allow the nosewheels to touch down. The duration of the flight was approximately :15. Passenger praised the extreme calm of the flight attendants. The forward flight attendant who was fortunately strapped to her jump seat for takeoff, grabbed the front curtain to prevent it from being sucked out and into one of the engines. 'The noise was incredible' stated many passenger. The other flight attendant was giving people instructions on how to prepare for landing. The concern of the flight crew was that the door was going to come off in-flight and penetrate the wing, which could cause a fire of catastrophic results. However, manufacturer must be praised for building a very heavy duty door hinge which allowed the door to withstand the air loads and not break off, preventing such a disaster. Damage was confined to the main door's outer skin, the door retract linkage and some damage to the structural box section. Cause is believed to have been a door not fully latched shut, and the flight crew missing the door warning lights, since they were on dim in a bright early afternoon sun. The door then popped open as the aircraft began to pressurize on takeoff. Follow-up on the investigation revealed that both the cabin crew failed to close the door properly and the flight crew failed to notice the door warning lights. The moral to the story is, safety can never be compromised by the boredom of everyday operations. That door is opened and closed well over 1000 times in the course of a yr. The attention of those involved must always be focused on catching what is not normal. Even though the warning light is out every time every flight, would it be missed if suddenly it was on?

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: RETURN LAND SIT MANDATED BY PAX DOOR COMING OPEN INFLT. ACFT DAMAGED DURING LNDG PROC.

Narrative: 62 PAX AND 4 CREW ESCAPED INJURY WHEN THE MAIN CABIN DOOR WITH STAIRS FLEW OPEN SHORTLY AFTER TKOF (APPROX 200 FT). THE PLT SKILLFULLY REMAINED IN CTL CLBING TO A SAFE ALT, AND CIRCLING THE ARPT ONCE TO ALLOW RESCUE VEHICLES TO RACE TO THE SCENE AND THEN LANDED. UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE PLT HELD THE NOSE UP AS LONG AS POSSIBLE, AND AS THE NOSE SETTLED THE DOOR MOVED UPWARD ABOUT THE HINGE TO ALLOW THE NOSEWHEELS TO TOUCH DOWN. THE DURATION OF THE FLT WAS APPROX :15. PAX PRAISED THE EXTREME CALM OF THE FLT ATTENDANTS. THE FORWARD FLT ATTENDANT WHO WAS FORTUNATELY STRAPPED TO HER JUMP SEAT FOR TKOF, GRABBED THE FRONT CURTAIN TO PREVENT IT FROM BEING SUCKED OUT AND INTO ONE OF THE ENGS. 'THE NOISE WAS INCREDIBLE' STATED MANY PAX. THE OTHER FLT ATTENDANT WAS GIVING PEOPLE INSTRUCTIONS ON HOW TO PREPARE FOR LNDG. THE CONCERN OF THE FLC WAS THAT THE DOOR WAS GOING TO COME OFF INFLT AND PENETRATE THE WING, WHICH COULD CAUSE A FIRE OF CATASTROPHIC RESULTS. HOWEVER, MANUFACTURER MUST BE PRAISED FOR BUILDING A VERY HVY DUTY DOOR HINGE WHICH ALLOWED THE DOOR TO WITHSTAND THE AIR LOADS AND NOT BREAK OFF, PREVENTING SUCH A DISASTER. DAMAGE WAS CONFINED TO THE MAIN DOOR'S OUTER SKIN, THE DOOR RETRACT LINKAGE AND SOME DAMAGE TO THE STRUCTURAL BOX SECTION. CAUSE IS BELIEVED TO HAVE BEEN A DOOR NOT FULLY LATCHED SHUT, AND THE FLC MISSING THE DOOR WARNING LIGHTS, SINCE THEY WERE ON DIM IN A BRIGHT EARLY AFTERNOON SUN. THE DOOR THEN POPPED OPEN AS THE ACFT BEGAN TO PRESSURIZE ON TKOF. FOLLOW-UP ON THE INVESTIGATION REVEALED THAT BOTH THE CABIN CREW FAILED TO CLOSE THE DOOR PROPERLY AND THE FLC FAILED TO NOTICE THE DOOR WARNING LIGHTS. THE MORAL TO THE STORY IS, SAFETY CAN NEVER BE COMPROMISED BY THE BOREDOM OF EVERYDAY OPS. THAT DOOR IS OPENED AND CLOSED WELL OVER 1000 TIMES IN THE COURSE OF A YR. THE ATTN OF THOSE INVOLVED MUST ALWAYS BE FOCUSED ON CATCHING WHAT IS NOT NORMAL. EVEN THOUGH THE WARNING LIGHT IS OUT EVERY TIME EVERY FLT, WOULD IT BE MISSED IF SUDDENLY IT WAS ON?

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.