Incident Overview
Shortly after takeoff, the student pilot's door opened. The takeoff was continued while the pilot made repeated attempts to close the door. The air traffic control tower was advised of the situation, but no emergency was declared.
Approach and Loss of Control
Following instructions from the air traffic control tower, the airplane was on an extended final approach. During this approach, control of the airplane was lost due to the open door. The airplane subsequently collided with trees and came to rest in a residential area.
Training and Procedures
The flight instructor had never demonstrated a door-open situation in flight to the student pilot. Beechcraft had issued specific procedures for this emergency in March 1987 via a safety communiqué. However, these procedures were never incorporated into the Pilot's Operating Handbook. The FAA operations inspector, the operator, the flight instructor, and the student pilot had no knowledge of the safety communiqué procedures.