Incident Overview
On September 19, 2010, at 1440 eastern daylight time, a Piper PA31-350, registration N84859, registered to Spirit Air Inc and operated by Pioneer Air Services, was on initial climb from Bimini Airport, South Bimini Island, Bahamas. During the climb, the lower half of the main cabin door came open. The pilot reversed course and returned to the departure airport, performing a landing on runway 27. On the landing roll, the right main landing gear tire blew out. The airplane departed the right side of the runway, struck a tree, caught fire, and came to a complete stop. The flight had originated from Bimini Airport at 1435 and was operating under 14 CFR Part 135. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight plan was filed.
Occupants and Damage
The commercial pilot and five passengers were not injured. The airplane received substantial damage.
Investigation
The investigation is under the jurisdiction of the Bahamian Government. Further information pertaining to this accident may be obtained from the Manager of Flight Standards, Bahamas, P.O. Box AP 59244, Nassau, N.P. Bahamas, Phone: (242) 377-3445/3448, Facsimile: (242) 377-6060. This report is for information purposes only and contains only information released by or obtained for the Bahamian Government.