Door opens in flight

[JeffMirs]

1967

Thanks for the reply.

 

Jeff

 

[DXB]

17 minutes ago, JeffMirs said:

1967

Thanks for the reply.

I have a '68C and have been through the same thing - the closure handle would slide up, in my case often popping all the way open. The mechanism inside the door is complex and hard to work on.  It has a solid pin moved directly by the handle into door frame, another spring loaded pin that it is linked to the motion of the adjacent the solid pin, and a latch at the top of the door moved by the same mechanism.  I suggest taking off the door panel to see if there is something obvious - there was not in my case, and I spent quite a bit of $ at the local MSC trying to get it fixed with no success.  Newer Mooneys have a purpose-built over center adjustment in the closing mechanism that can address this issue, but not us.  What ultimately "fixed" it for me was stripping out the old seals and installing new factory seals.  The extra compressed foam pushing back against the door seems to keep the pins seated.   Before that, I used a huge binder clip on the handle  attached to a bungee cord lashed to the bottom of an interior panel.  That definitely worked and was easy enough, but hardly elegant or passenger confidence-inspiring.

[Hank]

Wow, my 1970 C has only the one pin that latches just below the window. There is an STC to add another one up high on the rear of the door, which requires careful drilling with no chance to do over if slightly off. 

My door has only popped open once--the first time my wife and I went anywhere and Little Miss I-Can-Do-It couldn't. Lasted about 3 minutes. Went back, landed, we shut the door together, and no problems in > 10 years since then.