Accident Sequence
During the takeoff initial climb, at approximately 30 feet above ground level and halfway down the runway, the pilot initiated the landing gear retraction. The landing gear legs retracted at different rates, inducing a momentary but noticeable yaw. Simultaneously with the induced yaw, the pilot-side cabin door opened approximately 3 to 4 inches. The pilot then felt a loss of lift in the aircraft. The aircraft rolled to a right bank of 30 degrees and assumed a nose-down attitude of 20 degrees. The pilot attempted to correct for the roll and pitch, but did not have sufficient altitude. The aircraft impacted the ground in a nose-down attitude approximately 300 feet to the right of the runway.
Weather and Density Altitude
Winds reported at the airport at the time of the accident were from 290 degrees at 13 knots, gusting to 25 knots. The density altitude at the time of the accident was 8,400 feet.
Post-Accident Examination
Post-accident inspections by a Federal Aviation Administration inspector revealed nothing remarkable with the aircraft. Both sets of the left and right door latches were found to operate freely and retracted fully when using the internal and external door handles.
Manufacturer's Safety Communique
In 1990, Beechcraft Aircraft Corporation issued a Safety Communique concerning cabin door operation and openings. The Communique states that an open cabin door does not change an airplane's flight characteristics. However, it does state that an aircraft's climb performance can be decreased up to 130 feet per minute from handbook values, and that the decrease in climb performance can be more significant at high density altitudes.