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Passenger Falls Out of Plane Off Florida Coast

Shadrach

By Shadrach
in Miscellaneous Aviation Talk

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Shadrach Grand Master

Shadrach

Posted
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http://abcnews.go.com/US/passenger-falls-plane-off-florida-coast/story?id=20892273

 

So this one is kind of close to home as one of my colleagues is a friend of the man that fell.  Naturally, when my colleague found out about the incident he came to the resident pilot (me) in the office with questions.  I feel that there are many odd things about this incident and I have tried to keep my answers to his questions as general as possible.

 

For my own edification, does anyone know of anything unique about the PA46 air-stair that could possibly facilitate an incident like this? 

Shadrach Grand Master

Shadrach

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Suicide...

Recent incident with individual unbuckling and "falling" out of a helicopter too...

I assume that as well. When you here the ATC tape the pilot sounds so matter of fact. I'm not sure if I'd be that calm if a friend had just intentionally departed my aircraft at 2000 AGL.

Super Dave Collaborator

Super Dave

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I'm not familiar with the workings/anunciators of the PA46 air stair, but I used to fly BE-1900Ds and the one memory item for the "CABIN DOOR" anunciator was "all occupants seated with seat belts fastened". The scenario they would discuss at initial and recurrent training was a pilot or passenger unbuckling and attempting to secure the air stair, when it catches the airstream and opens violently, pulling the occupant out of the airplane (and into the left propeller). No idea if this is the case with the PA46, but it's at least one non foul play/suicide possibility.

Mooneymite Grand Master

Mooneymite

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Had this been an Aerostar (Mooney connection!), the passenger would have had his fall interrupted by the left propeller!

Jerry 5TJ Grand Master

Jerry 5TJ

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The PA46 door is in two parts. There are 4 lock pins. The upper half opens first and then a second latch unlocks the lower half. If you unlatch the upper half when pressurized to 5.5 psi (max differential) it will certainly open as that's over a ton of force pulling it outward.

News reports put the plane at about 2000 feet at the time so the pressure differential likely was about 1 psi or less if set normally.

Hank Grand Master

Hank

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1 psi is still significant force. If the door is 2' x 3', that's 24" x 36" = 864 in2, so at 1 lb/in2 that's also 864 lbs. of "up" force.

alex Proficient

alex

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Had this been an Aerostar (Mooney connection!), the passenger would have had his fall interrupted by the left propeller!

Had it been in an Aerostar the passenger would have never had the chance to get to the door!

PTK Grand Master

PTK

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You're both wrong. It's cause he didn't use Camguard :rolleyes:

Thanks Mike, you took the words right out of my mouth.

It is clearly the only logical conclusion!

  • Like 1
Shadrach Grand Master

Shadrach

Posted
  • Author
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The PA46 door is in two parts. There are 4 lock pins. The upper half opens first and then a second latch unlocks the lower half. If you unlatch the upper half when pressurized to 5.5 psi (max differential) it will certainly open as that's over a ton of force pulling it outward.

News reports put the plane at about 2000 feet at the time so the pressure differential likely was about 1 psi or less if set normally.

How can you tell that this is a pressurized PA46?

And if it is pressurized, why would you bother with pressurizing for a local flight at 2000ft.

Honestly, assumed this was a Matrix. But I know little of the PA46.

N33GG Mentor

N33GG

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Had this been an Aerostar (Mooney connection!), the passenger would have had his fall interrupted by the left propeller!

Had it been in an Aerostar the passenger would have never had the chance to get to the door!

Had this been in an Aerostar, the pilot would have a lot harder time claiming he/she didn't know what happened!

  • Like 1
Hank Grand Master

Hank

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Maybe some engineer type, right or wrong, absolute, no variation, guy said his manual said set take-off flaps. Jus sayin'

This engineer doesn't fly that way. But I know non-technical types who do . . .

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N33GG Mentor

N33GG

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Sorry guys, no slight on engineers intended ... I was referencing a remark made on another thread ...

No offense taken... just having fun.

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