Incident Overview
During the takeoff roll, the aircraft's overhead courtesy light flickered. As the aircraft lifted off, the right front cabin door opened, and the courtesy light remained illuminated. The pilot informed the tower of the intention to return and land, then entered a right downwind leg for Runway 27 at an altitude of approximately 500 feet above ground level (AGL).
Sequence of Events
The pilot reported that the interior of the aircraft became very noisy and cold. To minimize exposure to these conditions, the pilot elected to fly the downwind leg at about 500 feet AGL. On the right base leg, the pilot's ability to see the airport was reduced because he had to look directly into the white overhead courtesy light. When the pilot was finally able to see the airport, he was not in a position for a normal landing. Consequently, he initiated a left turn to intercept the final approach path for Runway 27.
During the turn, the aircraft lost altitude rapidly. The tower issued two altitude warnings before the aircraft struck trees. The aircraft was destroyed by fire.