What happened
The incident occurred while a scheduled commuter flight was maintaining cruise altitude. During this phase of flight, the cargo door unexpectedly opened. The force of the opening door caused it to strike the side of the fuselage. Despite this structural impact, the aircraft remained controllable and landed without mishap.
The investigation
Following the landing, a postaccident inspection was conducted on the aircraft. Inspectors found substantial damage to the fuselage specifically in the area where the cargo door had impacted during the event. A detailed examination of the cargo door itself and its associated latching mechanism revealed no mechanical anomalies or defects that would explain the failure.
Findings
The pilot reported that he believed he had properly latched the cargo door prior to takeoff. The investigation confirmed the absence of mechanical issues with the latching hardware. Consequently, the event is attributed to the door opening in flight despite the pilot's confirmation of closure and the lack of mechanical failure.