Baggage door

[pilot602]

Well, I was just listening to SDL tower and a Citation just came back in after a baggage door showed open.

The sad thing is a lot of pilots get worried about it to the point the aircraft ends up augering in. The aircraft will still fly ifa door comes open - it'll just make a lot of noise (in the bug smashers we fly around).

Just remember if a door comes open - fly the plane, land it and then close the door.

My PSA for the day.

 

[derg]

I lost two friends about five years ago when the door popped open on an Apache and they lost control of the aircraft over the Mojave desert.

You're absolutely right, fly the aircraft.

 

[IrishSheepdog]

We had the cabin door on a PA-28-201 open after departure on time. My instructor INSISTED that I fly at stall speed so he could shut the door. I slowed to about 60 knots, and he starts violently trying to lock the door, and ended up kneeing the yoke which caused us to stall and turn pretty abruptly. I got pretty pissed off and called approach to land, which is what I figured the best course of action was in the FIRST place. But whatever.

In any abnormality, not just door problems, fly the plane.

 

[pilot602]

[ QUOTE ]
lost two friends about five years ago

[/ QUOTE ]

Sorry to hear that

The baggage door is something I hear about all the time from my father (we just happen fly an Apache) because he had the baggage door come open on him in his first Apache.

We had a gas door open up on us the other day right after takeoff. The Apache uses the old thermos style gas "plugs" which sit in recessed wells which are then, in turn, covered with a simple, hinged door. The door hides the plugs (and creates a smooth surface on the top of the wing) but it also creates a high pressure area (using air vented into the "chamber" from the fuel vents underneath) that keeps the fuel from flowing out the vent in the plug. Well, when that door comes open in flight the high pressure is replaced by the low pressure of the wing and the gas just siphons out in about a four or five inch high stream.

I just finished my after takeoff checklist and I looked out my right window and said "oh, cr@p," called tower and we landed. Not a pretty sight but it wasn't a huge deal.

 

[Mahesh]

I understand what you guys mean about keeping your cool and flying the plane. I remember back when I had about 8 hours of flight time and hadn't soloed yet. Right after taking off, my window opened in the 172. I know it is so minor but I got so freaked out by the sound of the wind that I forgot about the yoke and tried to close the window with both hands. If I had been alone then, I probably wound have lost control. My instructor had a long chat with me after that incident about flying the plane.
Keep flying the plane no matter what, is what I have learned!

Mahesh