Incident Overview
On October 3, 2022, at about 1740 central daylight time, an Embraer EMB-545 airplane, registration N179SP, sustained substantial damage during an accident near Houston, Texas. The two pilots and two passengers were uninjured. The flight was operated under Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a business flight.
Pre-Flight Door Procedures
The pilot in command (PIC), seated in the right seat and acting as pilot monitoring, stated that the second in command (SIC), seated in the left seat and acting as pilot flying, closed and secured the main cabin door. The crew verified that no CAS messages were displayed on the multifunction display before taxi and takeoff.
In-Flight Door Opening
Flight data recorder (FDR) data indicated that during initial climb, the airplane was not pressurizing, consistent with the main entry door vent flap being open and the door not fully closed. Climbing through about 5,280 ft, the FDR recorded a DOOR PAX OPEN and master warning indication on the crew alerting system (CAS).
According to the cockpit voice recorder (CVR), about 12 seconds after the master warning, the PIC got out of his seat to check the door. He reported trying to push the handle down toward the locked position but “it kept coming up.” Approximately 14 seconds after the PIC left his seat, the CVR recorded sounds consistent with the door opening in flight, resulting in substantial damage to the door and fuselage.
The PIC returned to his seat about 21 seconds after the door opened and commented several times that the SIC had not secured the door. The flight returned to land; during landing, the door contacted the runway, causing substantial additional damage to the airplane.
Door Mechanism and Examination
Closure of the main cabin door is accomplished with either the internal or external handle, which transitions the door from the almost closed position to closed, latched, and locked positions through a complex mechanical mechanism. Operational procedures specify that pilots check for two visual latched indications (green) and two visual locked indications (green) to ensure the door is fully closed. The CAS indicates the door is fully closed when three sensors and targets are aligned (closed, latched, and locked).
Postaccident examination found no anomalies that would prevent the door from closing, latching, and locking. Door testing revealed a locked sensor assembly that was jammed due to corrosion, which resulted in a false locked door indication to the CAS when the door was actually in the latched position and not locked. With the handle in the latched position, the two visual locked indications on the door were partially red, showing the door’s accurate status as not locked.
Manufacturer Actions
Based on findings from this accident and other similar events, Embraer released a service bulletin recommending a one-time inspection of the door locked sensor and target assembly. Subsequently, Embraer added a 12-month repetitive inspection of all sensor and target assemblies to the maintenance program. Additionally, Embraer released a flight operations letter detailing the main cabin door closing procedures and developed and implemented a new sensor and target assembly on the production line to mitigate the possibility of jamming.