What happened
On 28 April 2012, a Europa aircraft, registration G-BYJI, was conducting a private flight originating from Pocklington Airfield. While cruising at 1,800 ft between York and Selby, the pilot increased the airspeed to 120 kt. During this acceleration, the pilot's door opened, resulting in damage to the door, its window, and the mounting. Following the incident, the pilot declared an emergency and requested an immediate return to Pocklington. The aircraft landed safely with no injuries to the pilot or the passenger.
The investigation
The investigation examined the mechanical arrangement of the aircraft's gull-wing door. The door is hinged at two points along its top edge and utilizes a gas strut on the aft side for support. It is secured in the closed position by two tapered shoot bolts that extend longitudinally into guides within the door frame. The investigation established that while the locking lever had been moved to the closed position, the front shoot bolt had engaged, but the rear bolt had not.
Findings
- The pilot's door opened due to increasing aerodynamic forces acting on the partially unsecured door as airspeed increased.
- The rear shoot bolt was not engaged in its guide prior to the incident.
- The door remained attached to the airframe, though the window became detached from the door assembly.