Luggage door opened on T/O

[Mooneymite]

Cruel....

Hopefully one would notice the warning light before begining the takeoff roll, so all the embarrassment would be contained within the cockpit and not shared. :-)

[triple8s]

The noise didnt let me know it was the floating items swirling around......you know the usual stuff......papers.....maps....my extra A20's a 496 bag....just stuff left on the hat rack. Door needs a spring so if it isnt latched it opens wide. Funny thing i was in a big hurry that day and while at the run up area i said to myself....i latched that door.....didnt I? Surely i did.....will look pretty silly shutting down here just to check. Looked and sounded even sillier climbing out with the door open....

Unicom saying "departing mooney you have a hatch open and are loosing debris"! What a day! A very old pilot told me....well ya did one thing right......you flew the plane!

[Alan Fox]

I had my first door pop in the beech on Saturday , forgot to latch it , it didn't pop until after rotation , did a normal pattern but did not retract the wheels.....Noisy as hell , and my passenger was half frozen when we landed.....It is extremely distracting....

[kortopates]

For those that don't lock your baggage door before departure -

I was the same way at first. I used to keep it unlocked, believing I may need to leave it open for an emergency responder to get me out if I couldn't get myself out  (i have the emergency release pin on the lock allowing me to open the baggage door even if locked from the inside but that doesn't help someone from the outside if I can't get to it.) It was really hard to believe a properly latched baggage door can come open in flight or on the takeoff roll. But after many year of working with the MAPA Safety Foundation, initially as a participant then as an instructor, I have learned of first hand accounts through other longer time instructors that it has happened after they insist the baggage door was secured closed yet not locked. If the door isn't secured properly, its very unlikely its going to stay closed in the takeoff roll, but to open well into flight is really pretty strong evidence the door was indeed secured to stay closed that long before opening. In one of the instances I heard,  the baggage door departed the aircraft and hit the tail doing some very expensive damage. Anyway, the first hand stories made a believer out of me. 

As a result of this past history, its been a MAPASF rule for quite awhile now not to depart till locking the baggage door and most instructors won't fly with you if you don't.

 

Anyway the reported history is something to consider. Plus although I have never tried it,  I understand the plexi-glass in the side window can be kicked out pretty easily if necessary, so my initial reason for keeping it unlocked is probably not as important as I thought it might be. Damage to the tail in flight is now my bigger concern.

[RobertGary1]

Not only do I not lock mine, I installed an emergency safety wire loop so I can open it from the inside.

 

-Robert

[PTK]

For those that don't lock your baggage door before departure -...

...If the door isn't secured properly, its very unlikely its going to stay closed in the takeoff roll, but to open well into flight is really pretty strong evidence the door was indeed secured to stay closed that long before opening. In one of the instances I heard,  the baggage door departed the aircraft and hit the tail doing some very expensive damage. Anyway, the first hand stories made a believer out of me. 

As a result of this past history, its been a MAPASF rule for quite awhile now not to depart till locking the baggage door and most instructors won't fly with you if you don't....

 

Kortopates, thank you for sharing your expertise! I'm a believer too!

 

I will always lock the baggage door going forward!

[Mooneymite]

I have never locked my baggage door, nor have I had it come open. However, this thread attests to the fact that over time, the locking mechanism can and does deteriorate.

While locking the door may be a good bandage, the real issue is door latch mechanism maintenance.

>>>Has anyone tracked down what parts wear, and how to replace them?

>>>Has the baggage door mechanism stayed the same over the various years/models, or are certain designs more prone to opening?

[Hedge]

During my last annual, I had my baggage door completely taken apart cleaned, straightened, and reinstalled.  it works a lot better.  I always test the latching mechanism to make sure it is in a locked position.  These items do wear out.  If you can freely pull your latch, it is worn and should be looked at.

 

I don't lock mine because I forget that it is locked and try to open the latch and break the locks.   

[ArtVandelay]

How do you test the latch? I give the hatch a bump with my fist to see it pop open

[bonal]

I was trained that on forced/off field landings one should unlatch the passenger door and it's on my check list as well.

[ArtVandelay]

I was trained that on forced/off field landings one should unlatch the passenger door and it's on my check list as well.

Because the airframe with be bent preventing doors from opening, not sure how you open luggage hatch?

[jlunseth]

A number of years ago some family friends took off in a twin from an airport in NM.  On takeoff the luggage door opened.  I remember in hearing about it afterword, the pilot would have felt very significant vibration on takeoff and would have tried to do something about it.  In addition, the luggage compartment on that twin was in the forward nacelle and no doubt some luggage came out.  The pilot tried to return but was unsuccessful and all aboard perished.

 

Lock the door.  Do not let someone else close the door for you and assume that is good enough. 

[Bennett]

I always lock the baggage door before flight as part of my checklist and walk around. I once did not, and the door opened in flight. A leather jacket on the rear seat was sucked out, and was caught on the horizontal stabilizer. Fluttered a lot, and my wallet fell out of the jacket. I had slowed down and was circling a farmer's field, and saw the wallet hit the ground. I returned to the airport where I had taken off, and while I was examining the damage to the horizontal stabilizer, a farmer drove up with my wallet, and the jacket that finally slid off. Wouldn't take a reward. Nice guy! He watched the takeoff, and saw the baggage door open at about 1000'. I now lock the baggage door - always before takeoff

[Marauder]

My only concern with locking the baggage door pertains to eggress if I can't do it myself. If the passenger area is compromised and the door was not opened before touchdown and damaged, how would rescuers get me out if the baggage door was locked? Through a window?

[sreid]

I can't see how the baggage door can open if it is properly latched, whether locked or not.

 

For those of you that had it open when the door was properly latched but not locked, was any effort put into determining if any part of the mechanism had worn, broken, or mis-rigged parts?

[mooniac15u]

Personally, my arms are long enough that I just reach back and check the baggage door from the inside before I take off.  That's probably not an option for everyone but there's aother thread on building little PVC handles to help reach the fuel selector (http://mooneyspace.com/topic/13884-fuel-selector-un-reachable/page-2).  Maybe you could use one of those to reach back and poke the baggage door to see if it is latched prior to takeoff. 

[bonal]

Personally, my arms are long enough that I just reach back and check the baggage door from the inside before I take off. That's probably not an option for everyone but there's aother thread on building little PVC handles to help reach the fuel selector (http://mooneyspace.com/topic/13884-fuel-selector-un-reachable/page-2). Maybe you could use one of those to reach back and poke the baggage door to see if it is latched prior to takeoff.

I can't imagine how long your arms must be

[mooniac15u]

I can't imagine how long your arms must be

 

Well, it was much easier in my M20D than in my current M20J but I can still manage.  I'm almost 6'5" and I already have the seat all the way back which puts me closer to the baggage door.

 

I never had much trouble reaching the fuel selector either.

[Hector]

I always lock the baggage door before flight as part of my checklist and walk around. I once did not, and the door opened in flight. A leather jacket on the rear seat was sucked out, and was caught on the horizontal stabilizer. Fluttered a lot, and my wallet fell out of the jacket. I had slowed down and was circling a farmer's field, and saw the wallet hit the ground. I returned to the airport where I had taken off, and while I was examining the damage to the horizontal stabilizer, a farmer drove up with my wallet, and the jacket that finally slid off. Wouldn't take a reward. Nice guy! He watched the takeoff, and saw the baggage door open at about 1000'. I now lock the baggage door - always before takeoff

As I started reading this thread I began to think about the plane cover I always keep in the hat rack, then I got to this post which really raises the possibility of that cover getting sucked out if/when I forget to latch the door. A plane cover rapped around the horizontal/vertical would NOT be a good thing.

[Joe Zuffoletto]

I never used to lock mine until the one in my Encore popped open during climbout a few years ago. Took a couple minutes to figure out what the problem was, but like the OP it started with feeling cold (it was a cold day) and the sound in my headset not being quite right.

 

Returned to the airport and landed normally. Much to my surprise there was no damage to the door, hinges, etc., even though I was probably flying with it open for about 10 minutes.

 

I always lock mine now.

[Hedge]

How do you test the latch? I give the hatch a bump with my fist to see it pop open

I always pull on it to test its resistance.  If it is difficult for me to open, it will be difficult to open by itself.  Not very scientific though.

[HRM]

Today I flew my M20E. During T/O I noticed something was not right. I was at about 60-65 kts and felt "cold". I have a Lightspeed PFX headset, but I noticed a distinct change in "sound". Turned out the luggage door poped open. I broke off the T/O, exited the runway, pulled over and closed the door.

Has this ever happened to anyone else?

I am certain the door was closed, but I didn't lock it. I am thinking about adding "locking baggage door" to my pre-flight.

 

I am going to say that you did not latch the door. Given how the mechanism works, I cannot see how it could unlatch on it's own unless there was something terribly wrong with it. I think that "terribly wrong thing" would be obvious on latching it.

 

You "did the right thing" by aborting. If that door was to snap off, it could take a piece of the empennage out and then your day would turn really, really bad.

 

Yes, add "lock & secure baggage door" to your checklist.

[rdav]

This topic sounds familiar, but I'm still confused. Why would locking the latch mechanism prevent the door from opening? I thought the lock just prevented someone from pulling the latch handle outward .. is the logic that the door cannot be locked if the latch isn't fully engaged? Or does the lock actually engage some other mechanism that holds the door closed?

[Hector]

This topic sounds familiar, but I'm still confused. Why would locking the latch mechanism prevent the door from opening? I thought the lock just prevented someone from pulling the latch handle outward .. is the logic that the door cannot be locked if the latch isn't fully engaged? Or does the lock actually engage some other mechanism that holds the door closed?

I think you and I are on the same page. I'm thinking is the former. By locking the door you ensure that the latch is fully closed. If the mechanism is worn I'm not sure locking the door does anything more for you.

[Wakeup]

Anyone have any experience with replacing the locks on baggage door and main door? My lock in the door does not work and have always wanted to replace it so I could lock my plane up. Thanks. Troy