Narrative:

This was the first flight of the day for this aircraft and crew. A normal preflight inspection was completed and cockpit setup performed. The main cabin door was shut by ground personnel but due to a distraction caused by a passenger in the cabin I did not visually inspect the door closely to ensure that it was latched properly. All appropriate checklists were run and appropriate responses obtained. On the takeoff roll, just after I made the '70 knot' call and the captain assumed control of the aircraft, we felt a slight vibration and the aircraft veered slightly to the left. We then heard passenger yelling in the cabin. The takeoff was immediately aborted, and we taxied back to the gate. Upon investigation we discovered that the main cabin door had come open. The door is a stair-door which opens outward and downward and is held off the ground by a cable. The cable had broken and the bottom of the door had scraped on the pavement causing the vibration and slight veering to the left. After shutting down the engines and verifying that the door was safe to exit on, the passenger were deplaned. During taxi out and the subsequent takeoff roll the captain's panel 'door' light was not illuminated and there were no cockpit indications that the cabin door was unsafe. After deplaning the passenger, the captain and I noticed that the door warning light circuit breaker was open. The circuit breakers had been checked by both the captain and I during cockpit setup and verified to be closed. Although it is still undetermined why the door warning circuit breaker had opened, there was a passenger in seat xx who was behaving in a loud and boisterous manner. At one point after the door was closed but before we started engines he reached up and jokingly grabbed the cockpit curtain as if to pull it shut. The door warning circuit breaker is just behind the curtain and may have been dislodged by his actions. Suggestions to prevent recurrence: ground personnel should leave cabin door open and leave it for cockpit crew to shut. This way there will be no question whether door has been closed and latched. Cockpit crew should visually inspect the door, door latch and door pins carefully to ensure door is safely latched (this is company procedure). Do not allow passenger distrs to deter you from following normal procedures. Closely monitor activities of passenger who are close to cockpit. Supplemental information from acn 286173: no door unsafe light due to an open circuit breaker (discovered after the incident). That may have been inadvertently dislodged by an intoxicated passenger. The first officer did not comply with SOP by going to the aft and ensuring the door was secured. A ground personnel pushed the door closed (contrary to SOP) without telling either flight crew personnel. Everything seemed normal. I was distraction briefly by the passenger in seat yy and was not aware the first officer did not secure the door. With no cockpit indications and no communication to the issue of the door, I assumed everything was a go and proceeded with checklists and onto the takeoff -- which was promptly aborted at approximately 75 KTS.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: COMMUTER ACFT HAS DOOR OPEN ON TKOF ROLL. TKOF ABORTED.

Narrative: THIS WAS THE FIRST FLT OF THE DAY FOR THIS ACFT AND CREW. A NORMAL PREFLT INSPECTION WAS COMPLETED AND COCKPIT SETUP PERFORMED. THE MAIN CABIN DOOR WAS SHUT BY GND PERSONNEL BUT DUE TO A DISTR CAUSED BY A PAX IN THE CABIN I DID NOT VISUALLY INSPECT THE DOOR CLOSELY TO ENSURE THAT IT WAS LATCHED PROPERLY. ALL APPROPRIATE CHKLISTS WERE RUN AND APPROPRIATE RESPONSES OBTAINED. ON THE TKOF ROLL, JUST AFTER I MADE THE '70 KNOT' CALL AND THE CAPT ASSUMED CTL OF THE ACFT, WE FELT A SLIGHT VIBRATION AND THE ACFT VEERED SLIGHTLY TO THE L. WE THEN HEARD PAX YELLING IN THE CABIN. THE TKOF WAS IMMEDIATELY ABORTED, AND WE TAXIED BACK TO THE GATE. UPON INVESTIGATION WE DISCOVERED THAT THE MAIN CABIN DOOR HAD COME OPEN. THE DOOR IS A STAIR-DOOR WHICH OPENS OUTWARD AND DOWNWARD AND IS HELD OFF THE GND BY A CABLE. THE CABLE HAD BROKEN AND THE BOTTOM OF THE DOOR HAD SCRAPED ON THE PAVEMENT CAUSING THE VIBRATION AND SLIGHT VEERING TO THE L. AFTER SHUTTING DOWN THE ENGS AND VERIFYING THAT THE DOOR WAS SAFE TO EXIT ON, THE PAX WERE DEPLANED. DURING TAXI OUT AND THE SUBSEQUENT TKOF ROLL THE CAPT'S PANEL 'DOOR' LIGHT WAS NOT ILLUMINATED AND THERE WERE NO COCKPIT INDICATIONS THAT THE CABIN DOOR WAS UNSAFE. AFTER DEPLANING THE PAX, THE CAPT AND I NOTICED THAT THE DOOR WARNING LIGHT CIRCUIT BREAKER WAS OPEN. THE CIRCUIT BREAKERS HAD BEEN CHKED BY BOTH THE CAPT AND I DURING COCKPIT SETUP AND VERIFIED TO BE CLOSED. ALTHOUGH IT IS STILL UNDETERMINED WHY THE DOOR WARNING CIRCUIT BREAKER HAD OPENED, THERE WAS A PAX IN SEAT XX WHO WAS BEHAVING IN A LOUD AND BOISTEROUS MANNER. AT ONE POINT AFTER THE DOOR WAS CLOSED BUT BEFORE WE STARTED ENGS HE REACHED UP AND JOKINGLY GRABBED THE COCKPIT CURTAIN AS IF TO PULL IT SHUT. THE DOOR WARNING CIRCUIT BREAKER IS JUST BEHIND THE CURTAIN AND MAY HAVE BEEN DISLODGED BY HIS ACTIONS. SUGGESTIONS TO PREVENT RECURRENCE: GND PERSONNEL SHOULD LEAVE CABIN DOOR OPEN AND LEAVE IT FOR COCKPIT CREW TO SHUT. THIS WAY THERE WILL BE NO QUESTION WHETHER DOOR HAS BEEN CLOSED AND LATCHED. COCKPIT CREW SHOULD VISUALLY INSPECT THE DOOR, DOOR LATCH AND DOOR PINS CAREFULLY TO ENSURE DOOR IS SAFELY LATCHED (THIS IS COMPANY PROC). DO NOT ALLOW PAX DISTRS TO DETER YOU FROM FOLLOWING NORMAL PROCS. CLOSELY MONITOR ACTIVITIES OF PAX WHO ARE CLOSE TO COCKPIT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 286173: NO DOOR UNSAFE LIGHT DUE TO AN OPEN CIRCUIT BREAKER (DISCOVERED AFTER THE INCIDENT). THAT MAY HAVE BEEN INADVERTENTLY DISLODGED BY AN INTOXICATED PAX. THE FO DID NOT COMPLY WITH SOP BY GOING TO THE AFT AND ENSURING THE DOOR WAS SECURED. A GND PERSONNEL PUSHED THE DOOR CLOSED (CONTRARY TO SOP) WITHOUT TELLING EITHER FLC PERSONNEL. EVERYTHING SEEMED NORMAL. I WAS DISTR BRIEFLY BY THE PAX IN SEAT YY AND WAS NOT AWARE THE FO DID NOT SECURE THE DOOR. WITH NO COCKPIT INDICATIONS AND NO COM TO THE ISSUE OF THE DOOR, I ASSUMED EVERYTHING WAS A GO AND PROCEEDED WITH CHKLISTS AND ONTO THE TKOF -- WHICH WAS PROMPTLY ABORTED AT APPROX 75 KTS.

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.