Narrative:

Due to adverse WX at sdf the aircraft was loaded in the hangar. After the freight was loaded, the first officer and myself got strapped in and started running the checklist while an additional crew member who was qualified in the aircraft as a first officer finished securing the cargo. Someone from the outside lowered the door but did not latch the door. While the aircraft was being towed out of the hangar the additional crew member latched the door. I could hear the door being latched and watched the light go out. The acm called out, 'door light.' I responded, 'door lights out.' I could then hear the cargo net being hooked to the door. I was given the thumbs up for engine start and the acm was still in the back finishing with the net. I asked the acm if he was ready for engine start and he responded, 'everything is good back here, go ahead.' we slowly taxied to runway 35L for departure. It was about a 2 mi taxi from the FBO to the end of the runway. It was dark with a reported visibility of 3/4 ft snow and blowing snow. The ceiling was 1000 ft overcast. It was the first officer's leg to fly and he was on the controls. The first officer advanced the throttles and called for the igniters on. Just after the aircraft was rotated the airplane yawed left and was immediately followed by a very loud noise of rushing air. I grabbed the yoke and signaled for the first officer to release the controls to me. The acm hollered out, 'the door is open.' at that time there was another yaw to the left which I was expecting. It was the left engine being damaged by foreign object ingestion. The left engine spooled down to 51% N1. This happened about 150-200 ft. We climbed at 140 KTS to 2000 ft where the left engine spooled back up to takeoff power. The climb was continued to 5800 ft. I overshot our assigned altitude by 800 ft. The noise of the rushing air was so loud I was unable to communicate with my first officer. I could hear the acm who was sitting closer to me. I returned to 5000 ft and the acm started giving me headings and altitudes to fly. The first officer requested the ILS to runway 1 just as it was briefed in the takeoff briefing. The first officer set up for the ILS and continued to communicate with ATC. I was unable to hear ATC and didn't know until later that he did not declare an emergency but priority was given. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: the reporter stated this aircraft is equipped with avcon cargo doors and had a previous maintenance history of latching problems. The reporter said the door warning light was out as verified by the first officer and the first officer riding in the jump seat. The reporter stated the DA20 has 2 types of cargo doors and this door was manufactured and installed by avcon and had a maintenance history on this aircraft and others in the fleet. The reporter said after this incident the reporter researched this door with other operators using this door and found 4 other incidents. The reporter said when the door opened a winter jacket, 'D' ring and cargo strap was ingested into #1 engine damaging the fan blades requiring an engine change. The reporter stated the door was examined by engineers from the manufacturer and found no faults. The reporter said the exterior door handle operates the door warning system and when flush with the door skin does not indicate the door is fully closed and locked so the dispatching mechanic has no exterior indication of the door being false latched. Callback conversation with reporter on acn 393800 revealed the following information: the reporter stated the door warning light was out after the reporter secured the door. The reporter stated the door was false latched but the door warning light was out.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: A DA20 ON TKOF AND INITIAL CLB. AT 200 FT THE ACFT RETURNED TO THE FIELD DUE TO THE CARGO DOOR OPENING INCURRING FOREIGN OBJECT DAMAGE TO THE #1 ENG AND LOSS OF PWR.

Narrative: DUE TO ADVERSE WX AT SDF THE ACFT WAS LOADED IN THE HANGAR. AFTER THE FREIGHT WAS LOADED, THE FO AND MYSELF GOT STRAPPED IN AND STARTED RUNNING THE CHKLIST WHILE AN ADDITIONAL CREW MEMBER WHO WAS QUALIFIED IN THE ACFT AS A FO FINISHED SECURING THE CARGO. SOMEONE FROM THE OUTSIDE LOWERED THE DOOR BUT DID NOT LATCH THE DOOR. WHILE THE ACFT WAS BEING TOWED OUT OF THE HANGAR THE ADDITIONAL CREW MEMBER LATCHED THE DOOR. I COULD HEAR THE DOOR BEING LATCHED AND WATCHED THE LIGHT GO OUT. THE ACM CALLED OUT, 'DOOR LIGHT.' I RESPONDED, 'DOOR LIGHTS OUT.' I COULD THEN HEAR THE CARGO NET BEING HOOKED TO THE DOOR. I WAS GIVEN THE THUMBS UP FOR ENG START AND THE ACM WAS STILL IN THE BACK FINISHING WITH THE NET. I ASKED THE ACM IF HE WAS READY FOR ENG START AND HE RESPONDED, 'EVERYTHING IS GOOD BACK HERE, GO AHEAD.' WE SLOWLY TAXIED TO RWY 35L FOR DEP. IT WAS ABOUT A 2 MI TAXI FROM THE FBO TO THE END OF THE RWY. IT WAS DARK WITH A RPTED VISIBILITY OF 3/4 FT SNOW AND BLOWING SNOW. THE CEILING WAS 1000 FT OVCST. IT WAS THE FO'S LEG TO FLY AND HE WAS ON THE CTLS. THE FO ADVANCED THE THROTTLES AND CALLED FOR THE IGNITERS ON. JUST AFTER THE ACFT WAS ROTATED THE AIRPLANE YAWED L AND WAS IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWED BY A VERY LOUD NOISE OF RUSHING AIR. I GRABBED THE YOKE AND SIGNALED FOR THE FO TO RELEASE THE CTLS TO ME. THE ACM HOLLERED OUT, 'THE DOOR IS OPEN.' AT THAT TIME THERE WAS ANOTHER YAW TO THE L WHICH I WAS EXPECTING. IT WAS THE L ENG BEING DAMAGED BY FOREIGN OBJECT INGESTION. THE L ENG SPOOLED DOWN TO 51% N1. THIS HAPPENED ABOUT 150-200 FT. WE CLBED AT 140 KTS TO 2000 FT WHERE THE L ENG SPOOLED BACK UP TO TKOF PWR. THE CLB WAS CONTINUED TO 5800 FT. I OVERSHOT OUR ASSIGNED ALT BY 800 FT. THE NOISE OF THE RUSHING AIR WAS SO LOUD I WAS UNABLE TO COMMUNICATE WITH MY FO. I COULD HEAR THE ACM WHO WAS SITTING CLOSER TO ME. I RETURNED TO 5000 FT AND THE ACM STARTED GIVING ME HEADINGS AND ALTS TO FLY. THE FO REQUESTED THE ILS TO RWY 1 JUST AS IT WAS BRIEFED IN THE TKOF BRIEFING. THE FO SET UP FOR THE ILS AND CONTINUED TO COMMUNICATE WITH ATC. I WAS UNABLE TO HEAR ATC AND DIDN'T KNOW UNTIL LATER THAT HE DID NOT DECLARE AN EMER BUT PRIORITY WAS GIVEN. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THIS ACFT IS EQUIPPED WITH AVCON CARGO DOORS AND HAD A PREVIOUS MAINT HISTORY OF LATCHING PROBS. THE RPTR SAID THE DOOR WARNING LIGHT WAS OUT AS VERIFIED BY THE FO AND THE FO RIDING IN THE JUMP SEAT. THE RPTR STATED THE DA20 HAS 2 TYPES OF CARGO DOORS AND THIS DOOR WAS MANUFACTURED AND INSTALLED BY AVCON AND HAD A MAINT HISTORY ON THIS ACFT AND OTHERS IN THE FLEET. THE RPTR SAID AFTER THIS INCIDENT THE RPTR RESEARCHED THIS DOOR WITH OTHER OPERATORS USING THIS DOOR AND FOUND 4 OTHER INCIDENTS. THE RPTR SAID WHEN THE DOOR OPENED A WINTER JACKET, 'D' RING AND CARGO STRAP WAS INGESTED INTO #1 ENG DAMAGING THE FAN BLADES REQUIRING AN ENG CHANGE. THE RPTR STATED THE DOOR WAS EXAMINED BY ENGINEERS FROM THE MANUFACTURER AND FOUND NO FAULTS. THE RPTR SAID THE EXTERIOR DOOR HANDLE OPERATES THE DOOR WARNING SYS AND WHEN FLUSH WITH THE DOOR SKIN DOES NOT INDICATE THE DOOR IS FULLY CLOSED AND LOCKED SO THE DISPATCHING MECH HAS NO EXTERIOR INDICATION OF THE DOOR BEING FALSE LATCHED. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR ON ACN 393800 REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: THE RPTR STATED THE DOOR WARNING LIGHT WAS OUT AFTER THE RPTR SECURED THE DOOR. THE RPTR STATED THE DOOR WAS FALSE LATCHED BUT THE DOOR WARNING LIGHT WAS OUT.

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.