What happened
Shortly after initiating takeoff, the left cabin door of the aircraft unexpectedly opened. The pilot reported that strong wind conditions prevented him from looking up or out through the windshield to assess the situation visually. Despite this lack of visibility, the pilot maintained control and guided the airplane toward the south side of the airport, where it struck tree tops. He managed to pull up sufficiently to keep the aircraft airborne.
The pilot then maneuvered across the airport property toward the north. In this phase of flight, the aircraft narrowly cleared a hotel roof before hitting another tree and descending to the ground. The airplane came to rest just outside the airport boundary with no further impact details provided in the source text.
The investigation
No mechanical examination findings are included in the source material.
Findings
The primary factor was the left cabin door opening during the initial climb phase. Contributing to the severity of the incident was the pilot's inability to visually inspect the door due to wind interference with the windshield view.