Narrative:

After takeoff, the cargo door on our falcon came unlatched. We returned to land on the runway that we took off on. We lost cargo that caused us to shut down the left engine located behind the cargo door. Every indication showed the door was latched and locked. I feel the door was not locked and, on taxi and takeoff, the door handle vibrated open. This enabled the door to open in-flight. Perhaps an additional way of locking the door should be used and company policy to use the cargo net. The cargo net latches to the door and the floor. This may have prevented the loss of as much cargo that left the airplane. After the accident and consulting other pilots, 3 thus far have come forward and told me they have had problems with that very cargo door. As explained to me, after the door was visually latched and locked from the inside of the aircraft and a warning light was out, you could pull the handle to the open position. This should not be possible without operating the release on the door latch. There were problems before, but I have not been able to verify except by word of mouth. The capts are cautious of writing up problems with aircraft and grounding airplanes. Causing waves in our company can lead to a layoff in the slow season. Supplemental information from acn 263138: a short time after gear retraction we heard a loud bang and the cockpit filled with bits of paper and plastic. I saw the temperature north the left engine was high and going higher, so I shut it down. There was no indication of a fire in the engine. Small changes in pitch caused the airplane to yaw which was caused by the door which was actually flying. It seemed like a wing. This was causing the airplane to yaw because of lift and drag. I realize now that the door was not closed and latched properly. If it had been, the door could not have opened without breaking the locking lugs. I looked at the system warning panel and saw the red warning light for the door was out. Maybe I had the warning lights on dim. Maybe I didn't have the batteries on line. I will make sure that all the straps on the barrier net are hooked to the cargo door so it would help by not letting the door open as much. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter states that he is flying a falcon 20 for a package delivery air carrier. The packages that flew into the engine were just paper and did no damage to the engine. No one on the ground was injured. Air carrier maintenance has tried to fix the door, but the latching mechanism is a 'nightmare.' the reporter believes that this particular aircraft has had other incidents where the door has flown open.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: THE CARGO DOOR ON AN ATX FREIGHTER FLEW OPEN INFLT CAUSING THE ACFT TO RETURN LAND.

Narrative: AFTER TKOF, THE CARGO DOOR ON OUR FALCON CAME UNLATCHED. WE RETURNED TO LAND ON THE RWY THAT WE TOOK OFF ON. WE LOST CARGO THAT CAUSED US TO SHUT DOWN THE L ENG LOCATED BEHIND THE CARGO DOOR. EVERY INDICATION SHOWED THE DOOR WAS LATCHED AND LOCKED. I FEEL THE DOOR WAS NOT LOCKED AND, ON TAXI AND TKOF, THE DOOR HANDLE VIBRATED OPEN. THIS ENABLED THE DOOR TO OPEN INFLT. PERHAPS AN ADDITIONAL WAY OF LOCKING THE DOOR SHOULD BE USED AND COMPANY POLICY TO USE THE CARGO NET. THE CARGO NET LATCHES TO THE DOOR AND THE FLOOR. THIS MAY HAVE PREVENTED THE LOSS OF AS MUCH CARGO THAT LEFT THE AIRPLANE. AFTER THE ACCIDENT AND CONSULTING OTHER PLTS, 3 THUS FAR HAVE COME FORWARD AND TOLD ME THEY HAVE HAD PROBS WITH THAT VERY CARGO DOOR. AS EXPLAINED TO ME, AFTER THE DOOR WAS VISUALLY LATCHED AND LOCKED FROM THE INSIDE OF THE ACFT AND A WARNING LIGHT WAS OUT, YOU COULD PULL THE HANDLE TO THE OPEN POS. THIS SHOULD NOT BE POSSIBLE WITHOUT OPERATING THE RELEASE ON THE DOOR LATCH. THERE WERE PROBS BEFORE, BUT I HAVE NOT BEEN ABLE TO VERIFY EXCEPT BY WORD OF MOUTH. THE CAPTS ARE CAUTIOUS OF WRITING UP PROBS WITH ACFT AND GNDING AIRPLANES. CAUSING WAVES IN OUR COMPANY CAN LEAD TO A LAYOFF IN THE SLOW SEASON. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 263138: A SHORT TIME AFTER GEAR RETRACTION WE HEARD A LOUD BANG AND THE COCKPIT FILLED WITH BITS OF PAPER AND PLASTIC. I SAW THE TEMP N THE L ENG WAS HIGH AND GOING HIGHER, SO I SHUT IT DOWN. THERE WAS NO INDICATION OF A FIRE IN THE ENG. SMALL CHANGES IN PITCH CAUSED THE AIRPLANE TO YAW WHICH WAS CAUSED BY THE DOOR WHICH WAS ACTUALLY FLYING. IT SEEMED LIKE A WING. THIS WAS CAUSING THE AIRPLANE TO YAW BECAUSE OF LIFT AND DRAG. I REALIZE NOW THAT THE DOOR WAS NOT CLOSED AND LATCHED PROPERLY. IF IT HAD BEEN, THE DOOR COULD NOT HAVE OPENED WITHOUT BREAKING THE LOCKING LUGS. I LOOKED AT THE SYS WARNING PANEL AND SAW THE RED WARNING LIGHT FOR THE DOOR WAS OUT. MAYBE I HAD THE WARNING LIGHTS ON DIM. MAYBE I DIDN'T HAVE THE BATTERIES ON LINE. I WILL MAKE SURE THAT ALL THE STRAPS ON THE BARRIER NET ARE HOOKED TO THE CARGO DOOR SO IT WOULD HELP BY NOT LETTING THE DOOR OPEN AS MUCH. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATES THAT HE IS FLYING A FALCON 20 FOR A PACKAGE DELIVERY ACR. THE PACKAGES THAT FLEW INTO THE ENG WERE JUST PAPER AND DID NO DAMAGE TO THE ENG. NO ONE ON THE GND WAS INJURED. ACR MAINT HAS TRIED TO FIX THE DOOR, BUT THE LATCHING MECHANISM IS A 'NIGHTMARE.' THE RPTR BELIEVES THAT THIS PARTICULAR ACFT HAS HAD OTHER INCIDENTS WHERE THE DOOR HAS FLOWN OPEN.

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.