Narrative:

This is a report on the loss of the aft external baggage door (non pressurized) from a learjet 60 aircraft while in-flight. The departure base was newport, or. Things progressed normally until the 7 passenger arrived at the aircraft. They had a tremendous amount of baggage to take on the aircraft. After loading and unloading the aft baggage compartment twice, I was able to get all of the bags into the baggage compartment. The door shut tightly with a duffel bag full of pillows, pressing slightly on the door when it was closed. The closure was tight but the door closed and locked normally. During taxi for departure, the external door light on the cockpit panel illuminated. I knew the door was secure, but we shut down the left engine and I exited the aircraft to check the door. The door looked secure. I opened the door and the duffel bag was pressing against the door. The duffel bag was removed and about 1/2 the pillows were removed and placed in voids among the other bags. This relieved the pressure on the door and the door closed normally. However, the cockpit panel light was still illuminated. I opened the door and with my pen and pencil activated the door switches to the locked position. The external door light was still illuminated which indicated to me that we had a switch problem and not a locking problem. I carefully closed and locked the door and proceeded with the trip, confident I had taken all the necessary steps to ensure the safety of the door. Without taxiing back to the FBO, I could not contact my dispatch or maintenance because our wireless telephones or the aircraft telephone did not work at this remote location. The field was uncontrolled. The trip was to santa monica, ca, with an en route time of 1 hour 55 mins at FL410. The flight progressed normally. During the descent, passing FL280 at mach .77, a slight shudder was felt in the airframe and a sound like an interior cabinet door being closed firmly was heard. The sensation lasted about 2 seconds. Afterward the aircraft felt and flew normally. The aircraft was slowed and a normal approach and landing was made at santa monica municipal. The aft baggage door was missing. No other damage was apparent. The right pin was evidently in the locked position showing quite a bit of metal scaring as it was torn out of its socket. The lower hinge was cleanly torn. The cause of the door failure is being investigated at the time of this report. What could the crew have done differently? We could have called maintenance and made an entry in the MEL deferrals. Given the indications, it is likely that a maintenance MEL deferral would have been the course of action. Even though we thought at the time we did all we could, in retrospect we should have taxied back to the FBO, got on the landline and conferred with maintenance to check if this was an ongoing problem with other learjet sixties. This might have caused a canceled trip but saved us from losing the door.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: LJ60 CREW HAD THE AFT EXTERNAL BAGGAGE DOOR DEPART THE ACFT AT FL280.

Narrative: THIS IS A RPT ON THE LOSS OF THE AFT EXTERNAL BAGGAGE DOOR (NON PRESSURIZED) FROM A LEARJET 60 ACFT WHILE INFLT. THE DEP BASE WAS NEWPORT, OR. THINGS PROGRESSED NORMALLY UNTIL THE 7 PAX ARRIVED AT THE ACFT. THEY HAD A TREMENDOUS AMOUNT OF BAGGAGE TO TAKE ON THE ACFT. AFTER LOADING AND UNLOADING THE AFT BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT TWICE, I WAS ABLE TO GET ALL OF THE BAGS INTO THE BAGGAGE COMPARTMENT. THE DOOR SHUT TIGHTLY WITH A DUFFEL BAG FULL OF PILLOWS, PRESSING SLIGHTLY ON THE DOOR WHEN IT WAS CLOSED. THE CLOSURE WAS TIGHT BUT THE DOOR CLOSED AND LOCKED NORMALLY. DURING TAXI FOR DEP, THE EXTERNAL DOOR LIGHT ON THE COCKPIT PANEL ILLUMINATED. I KNEW THE DOOR WAS SECURE, BUT WE SHUT DOWN THE L ENG AND I EXITED THE ACFT TO CHK THE DOOR. THE DOOR LOOKED SECURE. I OPENED THE DOOR AND THE DUFFEL BAG WAS PRESSING AGAINST THE DOOR. THE DUFFEL BAG WAS REMOVED AND ABOUT 1/2 THE PILLOWS WERE REMOVED AND PLACED IN VOIDS AMONG THE OTHER BAGS. THIS RELIEVED THE PRESSURE ON THE DOOR AND THE DOOR CLOSED NORMALLY. HOWEVER, THE COCKPIT PANEL LIGHT WAS STILL ILLUMINATED. I OPENED THE DOOR AND WITH MY PEN AND PENCIL ACTIVATED THE DOOR SWITCHES TO THE LOCKED POS. THE EXTERNAL DOOR LIGHT WAS STILL ILLUMINATED WHICH INDICATED TO ME THAT WE HAD A SWITCH PROB AND NOT A LOCKING PROB. I CAREFULLY CLOSED AND LOCKED THE DOOR AND PROCEEDED WITH THE TRIP, CONFIDENT I HAD TAKEN ALL THE NECESSARY STEPS TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE DOOR. WITHOUT TAXIING BACK TO THE FBO, I COULD NOT CONTACT MY DISPATCH OR MAINT BECAUSE OUR WIRELESS TELEPHONES OR THE ACFT TELEPHONE DID NOT WORK AT THIS REMOTE LOCATION. THE FIELD WAS UNCTLED. THE TRIP WAS TO SANTA MONICA, CA, WITH AN ENRTE TIME OF 1 HR 55 MINS AT FL410. THE FLT PROGRESSED NORMALLY. DURING THE DSCNT, PASSING FL280 AT MACH .77, A SLIGHT SHUDDER WAS FELT IN THE AIRFRAME AND A SOUND LIKE AN INTERIOR CABINET DOOR BEING CLOSED FIRMLY WAS HEARD. THE SENSATION LASTED ABOUT 2 SECONDS. AFTERWARD THE ACFT FELT AND FLEW NORMALLY. THE ACFT WAS SLOWED AND A NORMAL APCH AND LNDG WAS MADE AT SANTA MONICA MUNICIPAL. THE AFT BAGGAGE DOOR WAS MISSING. NO OTHER DAMAGE WAS APPARENT. THE R PIN WAS EVIDENTLY IN THE LOCKED POS SHOWING QUITE A BIT OF METAL SCARING AS IT WAS TORN OUT OF ITS SOCKET. THE LOWER HINGE WAS CLEANLY TORN. THE CAUSE OF THE DOOR FAILURE IS BEING INVESTIGATED AT THE TIME OF THIS RPT. WHAT COULD THE CREW HAVE DONE DIFFERENTLY? WE COULD HAVE CALLED MAINT AND MADE AN ENTRY IN THE MEL DEFERRALS. GIVEN THE INDICATIONS, IT IS LIKELY THAT A MAINT MEL DEFERRAL WOULD HAVE BEEN THE COURSE OF ACTION. EVEN THOUGH WE THOUGHT AT THE TIME WE DID ALL WE COULD, IN RETROSPECT WE SHOULD HAVE TAXIED BACK TO THE FBO, GOT ON THE LANDLINE AND CONFERRED WITH MAINT TO CHK IF THIS WAS AN ONGOING PROB WITH OTHER LEARJET SIXTIES. THIS MIGHT HAVE CAUSED A CANCELED TRIP BUT SAVED US FROM LOSING THE DOOR.

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.