Preliminary Report: King Air Cabin Door Opens on Takeoff

Hawker Beechcraft C90A, Bismarck, N.D., July 23, 2009–The cabin entry door opened while the aircraft was climbing through 500 feet. The pilot returned to the departure airport and landed without incident. The door remained attached to the aircraft at the hinge and lost half of its skin, resulting in substantial damage to the airplane’s pressure vessel. The pilot told investigators that the cabin door annunciator never lit and, according to the operator, after the accident all the door latches were found in the extended position.