Incident
On 28 April 2012 at approximately 1000 UTC, a Europa aircraft registered G-BYJI was on a private local flight from Pocklington Airfield. While cruising at 1,800 ft, the pilot accelerated the aircraft to 120 kt. At that point, the pilot's door opened, causing damage to the door itself, its window, and the mounting. The door remained attached to the aircraft, but the window detached. After assessing the aircraft's handling, the pilot made an emergency call to Pocklington Airfield requesting an immediate return to land. The aircraft landed without further incident. No injuries were sustained by the pilot or the passenger.
Aircraft and Pilot Information
The aircraft was a 1996 Europa, powered by a single Rotax 912-UL piston engine. The pilot, aged 55, held a Private Pilot's Licence and had accumulated 270 flying hours, of which 10 were on type. In the 90 days preceding the incident, he had flown 8 hours, with 6 hours in the last 28 days.
Door Mechanism
The pilot's door is of a gull wing design, hinged in two places along its top edge. A gas strut supports the door in the open position. The door is secured closed by two tapered shoot bolts that extend longitudinally from the lower corners of the front and rear sides of the door into guides in the door frame. It is possible to have the door locking lever in the closed position with only the front shoot bolt engaged in its guide, allowing the rear bolt to remain disengaged.
Pilot's Report
The pilot candidly reported that it is most likely the rear shoot bolt was not engaged on this occasion. As the airspeed increased, aerodynamic forces caused the partially closed door to open.
Aftermath
The Light Aircraft Association (LAA) intend to remind their members of the importance of checking all doors and hatches are closed before every takeoff.