What happened
Following its departure from runway 03R at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport in Romulus, Michigan, the aircraft declared an emergency. The aircraft eventually came to a stop at a magnetic heading of 055 degrees. Its final position was approximately 3,400 feet from the departure end of the runway and 1,900 feet to the left of the runway centerline.
Findings
Post-incident inspections of the airframe revealed a circular impression on the forward fuselage near the door hinge line, though the underlying metal remained intact. Investigation determined that the door handle's position and shape matched this impression. While the door was found nearly flush with the fuselage, there was no evidence of structural failure, such as tearing or fracturing, in the door pin tips or the pin holes.
An examination of the door's latching mechanism uncovered a brown colored nail used to connect the handle to the vertical latches. Regarding the propulsion system, both engine supercharger turbine wheels exhibited scoring and deformation of the impeller blades. However, the engine oil screens showed no signs of metal contamination. Flight control systems, including the aileron, elevator, and rudder, remained functional, with the elevator trim set to neutral and the trailing edge flaps in the retracted position.