Accident Details
On July 16, 2015, at approximately 1115 eastern daylight time, a Cessna 162, registration N6047W, was substantially damaged when it struck trees and terrain after takeoff from runway 6 at Chautauqua County/Dunkirk Airport (DKK) in Dunkirk, New York. The private pilot, who was the sole occupant, sustained minor injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no flight plan was filed for the local personal flight conducted under 14 CFR Part 91.
A witness at the airport observed the airplane during its initial climb. At an estimated altitude of 100 to 200 feet, the airplane made an abrupt left turn, lost altitude, and pitched nose-up. The witness then saw the airplane lose altitude and pitch up a second time, describing the nose-up attitude as aggressive before the airplane sank below the tree line.
According to the pilot's report to an FAA inspector, he performed a preflight inspection with no anomalies. He then conducted two touch-and-go takeoffs and landings in the traffic pattern. On the third takeoff, during climbout from runway 6, the right cabin door opened at about 400 feet. The pilot attempted to reach across the right seat to close the door but could not grasp the handle. He stated that the airplane "did not want to fly" and "began to sink." The airplane subsequently impacted trees, and the pilot egressed.
The airplane came to rest upright in a nose-down attitude among trees approximately one mile northeast of runway 6. Postaccident examination by an FAA inspector revealed substantial damage to both wings and the fuselage. The fuel tank sight glasses indicated each tank was about one-quarter full. Control continuity was established from the cockpit to all flight control surfaces. Impact damage prevented a functional test of the right door latches, but visual inspection found no anomalies.
The pilot's operating handbook for the airplane specifies that a pilot should not attempt to close an open cabin door in flight. Instead, the pilot should leave the door open, reduce throttle as necessary to maintain airspeed below 80 knots, secure seatbelts and loose items, and land as soon as practical. Landings with an open door are to be performed normally.
Pilot Information
The pilot held a private pilot certificate with an airplane single-engine land rating. He reported 420 total hours of flight experience, with 90 hours in the accident airplane make and model.
Aircraft Information
The Cessna 162 was manufactured in 2011 and equipped with a Continental Motors Inc. O-200 series, 100-horsepower reciprocating engine. Its most recent condition inspection was completed on December 14, 2014. At the time of the accident, the airplane had accrued 90 total hours of operation.