Incident Overview
A twin-engine airplane experienced a hard landing and loss of control while attempting to land. The 830-hour private pilot lost control of the aircraft during the landing attempt after a cabin door opened just after takeoff.
Sequence of Events
Following the door opening, the pilot decided to land and secure the door, but was unable to obtain a safe landing gear indication. The pilot then chose to fly to his home field, where additional help would be available. While holding the cabin door closed, the pilot became fatigued. He subsequently declared an emergency and received vectors to the nearest runway.
On short final, the pilot released the door. The airplane banked to the right, and the right wing struck the runway. The airplane then landed hard, collapsing the landing gear.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft was a twin-engine airplane. The pilot held a private certificate and had accumulated 830 hours of total flight time.