What happened
On 7 June 2006, a Britten-Norman BN2A Mk III-1 Trislander, registration G-LCOC, was performing a scheduled passenger service from Saint Brieuc, France, to Guernsey. Shortly after the aircraft climbed to approximately 200 feet, the pilot heard a loud bang. Although the cause was not immediately apparent, the pilot confirmed that all three engines were functioning correctly and the aircraft remained under control. The flight returned to Saint Brieuc and landed without further incident.
Upon landing and after passengers had disembarked, the pilot inspected the aircraft and discovered that the baggage door had been forced inward into its aperture. While the door remained attached to the airframe, the impact had deformed the door lip and loosened one of the rivets connecting a hinge to the fuselage skin.
The investigation
Investigators examined the aircraft's locking mechanism and found it to be in normal working order. An inspection by an engineer suggested that the door had likely not been properly secured before departure, allowing aerodynamic forces to push it into the fuselage.
At Saint Brieuc, the airport provides ground handling services, unlike other locations served by the operator. During the loading process, a trestle is used under the tail to prevent the aircraft from tipping. To avoid leaving the cockpit unattended while passengers are boarding, the responsibility for verifying that all doors are secure was delegated to ground personnel. At the time of the incident, the procedure involved loading passengers before baggage, which necessitated the use of the tail trestle.
Findings
- The baggage door was likely functional but not properly secured prior to departure.
- Aerodynamic forces during flight forced the unsecured door into the fuselage aperture.
- The aircraft's baggage door lacks a cockpit warning light to indicate if it is improperly closed.
- The ground handling procedure at the time allowed for the delegation of door security checks to ground staff, and the pilot could not personally verify the door's status while passengers were boarding.