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Door opens in flight


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It has happened now three times to me. In rather moderate turbulence and with a passenger on board the door pops open partially. Not a big deal, but it scares me and my passenger. I have an inflatable door seal installed and it only happens when it is inflated...

Is there anything I can do to adjust the lock so it is not that easy to pop open...any suggestion or ideas...

Thanks!

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My door pops open a few times too. But, if I always check the door prior to takeoff by pressing at the top center and on the right side, near the top and see if there is ANY movement. If so, we open and re-close the door. Other times it's opened when the pass knee pops up the latch handle !! I don't have inflatable seal.

Bill

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Oscar- this happened to me a couple times and it was an easy fix on my J model. The pin is an adjustable turnbuckle. If you take off the passenger door panel you will see a rod with two washers. Loosen the washers and screw the turnbuckle to make the pin stick out further into the hole in the side of the doorframe. Once you have the desired length tighten the washers back to hold the pin at that length. My turnbuckle broke a couple years ago and when it was re installed the pin wasn't adjusted to a long enough length causing the door to pop a couple times in turbulence. Not that is been adjusted out another 3/8" or so it's holding up nicely. All in all it's about an hour project. Good luck!

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The C has a different locking mechanism than the J.  The new planes have the clothespin type grabbing mechanism on the top of the door that pulls the top of the door in towards the doorframe.  The C has a hook type mechanism.  They will adjust differently.  No sure which you have.  But for the door to open completely, the main securing pin must retract into the door.  Sounds like the "over-center" adjustment is faulty.  This is adjusted inside the door itself by removing the interior panel.

 

John Breda

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As I recall this mechanism involves at least one "pop thru", or "over-center" mechanism (just like each of our landing gear).  If you remove the door cover you can access the turnbuckles that controls this.  The handle force builds and then reduces as you go past "top dead center".  If the mechnism is bottoming out before this toggle-thru happens then you do not have secure closure. 

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My 74 C has the "clothes-pin" latch at the top of the door.

Mine began popping open at the top in flight at high airspeeds after a helpful passenger tried to slam the door closed.

Inspection showed that the upper bracket had been bent out of rig.

Easily fixed.

I have no experience with the lower latch pins not holding properly as long as the door is properly, carefully closed.

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  • 2 months later...

I have a slightly different question... my door popped open (because the idiot pilot failed to check it after his A&P closed it from the outside and it seemed to be closed). I was unable to close it in flight so I returned to the airport with the door in trail about 6' open. I was alone in the plane but I seem to remember being able to close a door in flight years ago though I may not have been alone. Afterwards I thought I might have opened the side window, tromped on the left rudder, maybe closed the vents to reduce the pressure holding the door open, but I wasn't really going anywhere so I just landed.

 

This is a '66E with a single handle that moves 2 pins.

 

I think I could have closed it had there been someone in the right seat to help but anyone have experience closing a door while alone?

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The only doors I have been able to close in flight have been high-wing Cessnas. Never been successful on a Mooney or Bonanza. I used to demonstrate this with students who flew Bonanzas and Mooneys to show the importance of just flying the airplane and land safely.

Anybody been able to close a Piper Cherokee door in flight?

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I have a C with the hook type latch at the top. The only two times it has come open in flight where both when I let passengers close the door and obviously I did not check it properly. This all happened right after I purchased the aircraft. After those two incidents and a few incidents of passengers slamming the door to close it, I decided that was the end of that. Now I am the only person closing the door in my Mooney. By the way, one of those times I did manage to close the door in flight (slow flight). Since I started closing the door have not had a repeat incident.

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Any CB knows...

Pilot is last to check all doors and caps...

Cockpit door (most scary to passengers)

Baggage door (most expensive collateral damage)

Fuel caps (most humanizing)

Oil dipstick (spooky)

... Because he is responsible to pay for the replacements and any damage that is caused by their escape.

Best regards,

- CB, Atlantic Region -

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I did. On my first flight in my then new-to-me 1966 PA28-180 out of Torrance, CA, en route home to Florida about 10 years ago. I didn't yet understand the Cherokee's latching mechanism and it popped open about the time I rotated. I probably should have aborted the takeoff, but it was the first time I had flown a Cherokee and I was busy dealing with the unfamiliar LA airspace and ATC, so I carried on. I left the door in trail until I reached my cruising altitude and considered just leaving it open for that leg of the flight, but it was getting pretty cold in the cabin so I slowed the plane to maybe 75 MPH or so, opened the pilot's vent window, yawed the plane to the left with the rudder, and slammed the door. Then I latched the top latch by rotating the handle and all was well. Never made that mistake again, but this in flight door closure procedure that I had read somewhere previously worked like a charm.

Why do you ask?

I think that would work on a Mooney as well. I was pulling against significant pressure which would haven been reduced if I had closed all the vents. Opening thee side window might help in a max yaw to left as well. 

 

Hope I don't have to try it again, particularly in IMC or in busy airspace.

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Over the years I've heard of many techniques to close doors/hatches in flight.

I'm not a fan of any of them.

If something opens in flight, I suggest you live with it, land and correct it on the ground.

When my Mooney door popped open, the only things that changed were the noise level and my wife's blood pressure.

There have been many more accidents caused by the distraction than from any peril caused by the open door/hatch. Stay focused on flying the (otherwise) perfectly good airplane.

Oh, and hang on to your charts!

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Opposite of door coming open: I locked myself inside! I Gus's after unlocking my door I didn't turn the key all the way before pulling out and entered Uneventfully but after flying to my hometown I parked in front of my hanger and couldn't unlatch the door!!!!! Make sure when unlocking to fully turn the lock to the unlocked position. I called signature on my cell and it have to admit I deserved the the humiliation.

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If something opens in flight, I suggest you live with it, land and correct it on the ground.

When my Mooney door popped open, the only things that changed were the noise level and my wife's blood pressure.

 

 

This was my exact experience, on the first flight of Ms. I-Can-Do-It-Myself. Left the pattern, checked in with ATC, got a squawk, then the door popped. Gave her the two choices [put up with it for the next hour, or turn around and land]. We went back and landed, I did the door closing demo that she insisted she didn't need before, and everything has been copacetic since. Didn't even scare her away from flying with me.

 

Land and close the door, or put up with the wind and noise [and cold in the winter!].

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Aaron,

But that is why you have a baggage door. If yours does not have an inside handle a piece of safety wire and a short dowel will create one. Feed the wire through a small hole in the cover and twist around the dowel as a handle. A little experimenting will show where on the latch mechanism to attach the other end of the wire.

Getting out this way is not that difficult and worth practicing on purpose. You will have to move luggage around as you step from front to back seat, unlatch baggage door, stick your head/shoulders out through the baggage door, step into the baggage area and step out on the wing. I am 6'1", 200 lb, 71 years and it is easy for me. You never know when an accident will jam the door. If the rear is stuffed to the brim, it can be tricky. But this manuver keeps some ego intact.

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  • 1 year later...

Ok time to revive this thread.   I replaced the door seals on my 68 'C recently- initially this made the door hard to close, but now it's settled down to something reasonable.  However on two recent flights, the door popped open. I simply put up with the noise and cold for two hours (kinda opposite of what I was going for with the door seal replacement). The second time I had paid extra attention to securing the door, but it happened anyway.  Both times it happened right after I leveled off for cruise and picked up speed.  Yesterday, I examined the mechanism to the best of my ability and nothing was clearly damaged- I wondered if all the pressure required for the new seals initially hurt something, but I am not versed in the mechanics of it.  And on my 30 minute flight yesterday it did not come open, after playing with it obsessively before the flight without figuring out what was wrong.  Is there anything in particular I should look for here?  It's bound to scare a passenger sometime soon.  

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Opposite of door coming open: I locked myself inside! I Gus's after unlocking my door I didn't turn the key all the way before pulling out and entered Uneventfully but after flying to my hometown I parked in front of my hanger and couldn't unlatch the door!!!!! Make sure when unlocking to fully turn the lock to the unlocked position. I called signature on my cell and it have to admit I deserved the the humiliation.

I'm unable to take key out without turning it all the way.

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Ok time to revive this thread.   I replaced the door seals on my 68 'C recently- initially this made the door hard to close, but now it's settled down to something reasonable.  However on two recent flights, the door popped open. I simply put up with the noise and cold for two hours (kinda opposite of what I was going for with the door seal replacement). The second time I had paid extra attention to securing the door, but it happened anyway.  Both times it happened right after I leveled off for cruise and picked up speed.  Yesterday, I examined the mechanism to the best of my ability and nothing was clearly damaged- I wondered if all the pressure required for the new seals initially hurt something, but I am not versed in the mechanics of it.  And on my 30 minute flight yesterday it did not come open, after playing with it obsessively before the flight without figuring out what was wrong.  Is there anything in particular I should look for here?  It's bound to scare a passenger sometime soon.

Close the door in the hangar between flights until it "sets" at the new thickness.

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I bought the door trim seal (amazon) suggested on another thread. I am looking to replace the plane (not door) trim on the baggage and cabin door. These seals are quite thin...Now wondering if they will work for the job (to thick?). The trim is ripped and due for replacement vs. re-adhesive application...

Thoughts?

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  • 3 years later...

Related issue, my door doesn’t pop open in flight, but the latch seems to move a bit so it gets louder and No longer fully latched tight.  Any ideas how to fix this besides pushing the latch forward every five minutes?

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JEFF,

A few things to look into...

  • What year is your C?
  • Some Mooneys have a latch at the top of the door...
  • the mechanical closure has an over centering device to keep it from moving...
  • Mechanical parts are partially visible from the inside... requires taking off the plastic panel to Best see them...

See if all the parts are working as expected...

PP thoughts of old memories...

Best regards,

-a-

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