Door Open In Flight (Poll)

[201er]

Have you had a cabin or baggage door open in flight?

If it opened in flight, who closed it? Did you lock it or not?

[201er]

Had the passenger door open in flight on two occasions. Both times were when a passenger (that should have known better) closed it. Both times happened shortly after takeoff. Both times returned to land, closed on ground, and a non-event. I never let anyone, even pilots, close it since then and the problem hasn’t recurred.

I always close and lock the baggage door myself before flight. I don’t let passengers do it. Never had the baggage door open in flight on my ‘78 201.

[larryb]

Never in a Mooney but once in a Cessna during primary training. I closed it in flight without difficulty.

[David Lloyd]

I didn’t latch the door properly one cold nite. Realized leveling out the door was being sucked open at the top. When I touched it, it popped open. Wife almost froze before I could get back on the ground.  10 degrees and a open door, there was no time to fool around trying to shut it.  Never again. I give the door an extra shove every time. There were too many IFR departures to not check.

[JohnB]

Went up with a CFI who didn't latch the door properly and came open in flight. Landed and shut it. Next time that happens (if it ever does), I think I would like to try the close door in flight as in the POH, slow down, open the side window, slip and close the door. That seems like that would work well.  That wasn't one of the choices on your poll but wondered if anyone has done that can share if it's as easy as it sounds?

[Ragsf15e]

Had mine open during hot/heavy/high DA departure.  I hadn’t got both top and main latches engaged.  Top one was open. I opened the door and tried to close it, but it’s really tough.  Decided it wasn’t worth it to come back and land right then.  Flew 3.0 with it open 1/2”.  It opened more on landing.  
Since then I’ve heard that you can slow down, slightly yaw and open pilots window to make it easier to close in flight but I haven’t tried it.

[Mooney Dog]

How would you even close the baggage door if it opened it flight? 

[Mooney in Oz]

37 minutes ago, Ragsf15e said:

Since then I’ve heard that you can slow down, slightly yaw and open pilots window to make it easier to close in flight but I haven’t tried it.

Add to that speed 95 kias and it’s not too difficult. Yaw to the right (left rudder). Happened to me after an interior refurb making it tight and hard to close. Easier with an autopilot (without a YD) engaged.

36 minutes ago, Mooney Dog said:

How would you even close the baggage door if it opened it flight? 

You can’t.

[carusoam]

Cabin door, like the baggage door… doesn’t like rotation…

So yes on both counts, but no, because it was moments prior to flight…

like anything else occurring during rotation… quick decision to continue the flight…

Around the pattern, land, close door, start over…

In the days before MS…. There was no way to know how common of an occurrence this would be…. And how easy it is to keep it from occurring…

We did prove it isn’t very dangerous…  (low speed, coming open)

The door opens about two inches, not enough to fall out…

 

One thing for sure… right seaters don’t like it very much… 

 

similarly….
Had a seatbelt end get caught in the door of a Cessna once… the loose end flapping in the breeze makes a scary sounding vibration… spanking the airframe…

Climb to altitude, open door, pull in seatbelt, use rudder to push the door closed…. Having a big window to open, and put your arm out, helps with door closing…

 

Back in the day it was considered normal human error… there were no pics posted on anything called the internet…

There was a huge assumption… planes are designed to have this occur… because people have a tendency to allow it to happen..

Winter may help this happen more… with big winter coats getting in the way… and cold weather causing people to rush…

 

That was decades ago…

Best regards,

-a-

[N201MKTurbo]

When I bought my first Mooney, I flew it to Oshkosh the day after I bought it, at night. About an hour after departure my buddy said the door was leaking air. After flying Cessnas for the last few years, I told my passenger to open the door and re-close it. Well, it opened OK, but he couldn’t close it. I slowed down, but he still couldn’t close it. So I said “I’ll stall the plane, when it drops, close the door” It worked!

Being young and bulletproof can be handy sometimes. Doing stalls in the dark in a plane I had about 1 1/2 hours in with no instruction. That was my first Mooney stall.

[MooneyMitch]

Do make sure your seat belt is tight when your door opens in flight...... lest you will be sucked out !! 

[ilovecornfields]

54 minutes ago, N201MKTurbo said:

Being young and bulletproof can be handy sometimes.

I miss those days. I think back to some of the stupid things I did in airplanes as a teenager and I’m surprised I survived. I guess sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

[47U]

Question #1 needs a fourth response… “I landed and closed it.”  

The top latch on my cabin door has let go shortly after rotation on rare occurrence, but I’ve never been able to get it secured in flight.  Slipping, window open, vents closed, whatever.  Never successful.  So I stay in the pattern, land, close the door (with purposefulness) and depart again.

The baggage door hasn’t been a problem.  There’s an egress strap affixed on the hatrack side of the baggage door (out of the reach of back seat pax), in the unfortunate occasion I should need to pop the hatch on the ground.  Therefore, I do not lock the baggage door.  

[N201MKTurbo]

1 hour ago, MooneyMitch said:

Do make sure your seat belt is tight when your door opens in flight...... lest you will be sucked out !! 

I don’t think it matters. The door opens about 3 inches, no more, no less.

[Will.iam]

I used to brief especially in the hot summer heat that upon landing for the passenger to go ahead and open the door to let in fresh air. Well my  cousin ever the eager beaver and with selective hearing i might add, opened the door about 200ft above the ground on short final. It was starting how loud the air was but we landed ok anyways. It was self critiquing for both of us. 

[David Lloyd]

8 hours ago, MooneyMitch said:

Do make sure your seat belt is tight when your door opens in flight...... lest you will be sucked out !! 

There is a Just Plane Silly video of that happening to Trevor.

[HIghpockets]

After  hurried preparations for a takeoff on a hot, busy day from KBNA (Nashville TN) I climbed to 9000' and headed towards home in NJ with a comfort stop in KPKB (Parkersburg WV). As I started my descent the passenger door popped open around 7000'. It was noisy. My wife held on to the handle. We landed without any further trouble. There was no attempt made to close the door.  During my transition training, my MAPA instructor, an evil genius, put me through the drill.  Cabin door opening in flight is a temptation and a classic distraction. If I had been flying alone, I would have not tried to close the door.

Edited January 24, 2022 by HIghpockets
spelling

[RobertGary1]

12 hours ago, larryb said:

Never in a Mooney but once in a Cessna during primary training. I closed it in flight without difficulty.

Cessna doors can be closed in flight. Although it’s cooler in the summer to leave them open. 

[RobertGary1]

The doors on the Cessna 140 never really stayed closed. On my private the dpe freaked out a bit that his door opened. I pointed out that I didn’t even bother closing mine. We always flew with the doors open in the summer. Cessna doors are a lot different though. 
Had one pop on a night imc departure out of Monterey once in a bonanza that freaked out the wife. I had to land. Nothing I did could alter the inch or two it wanted to trail. A piece of my enroute did get sucked out. 

[Yetti]

I think the poll should be.   Yes Landed and closed it.

[rbridges]

 

 

My memory is a little hazy, but I think this is what happened when the baggage door popped open.  It was terrifying.  

[McMooney]

I once forgot to latch the door before takeoff, took like 10 minutes to figure out why it was so darn noisy.

slowed and banked, reached over shut and latched the door, non-issue.

[MooneyMitch]

11 minutes ago, rbridges said:

 

 

My memory is a little hazy, but I think this is what happened when the baggage door popped open.  It was terrifying.  

If my memory is correct ( and possibly not), that tragedy was a mid-air with a Cessna many years go in San Diego. 

[MooneyMitch]

All seriousness aside ........years ago I did have my sunglasses and sectional sucked out when the Ovation door opened in flight at night over El Monte, CA.
 

Remainder of February flight to Santa Maria was mighty cold, plus I couldn’t couldn’t hear distinguishable information over my headset !! 

Someone got some really cool sunglasses. 

[Hank]

My passenger door has popped open twice: 

1. on my wife's first flight after insurance dual, little Ms. I-Can-Do-It-Myself found out she couldn't. We made it 4-5 miles after takeoff, discussed options, went back and landed. Then I coached her through the process a second time, and she has not had this problem again.
2. On a hot Alabama summer takeoff, I had the door open for taxi, and apparently forgot to close it. I noticed it on climb, passing 300-400 feet. Grabbed for it, then thought, this is stupid, wait til I'm higher. Leveled off at 3000 msl, reduced power, opened storm window--the door closed on my second and final try. Completed the flight with no problem, but could have gone with it open except for noise. The draft across me actually felt good.

My baggage door opened once, when I was distracted and missed closing it. Noticed it on initial climb, flew the Instrument approach at 105 mph, landed and closed it. It's bent just a little bit, so that when not latched it is open ~1½" at the bottom, enough to notice before grabbing the handle to climb in.

No accidents. No need to change underwear. Nothing lost from the interior.

Just fly the plane . . . .