What happened
On September 13, 2022, at 14:59 UTC, a McDonnell Douglas MD-81 (registration YV480T) operated by LASER departed from Maturín's José Tadeo Monagas International Airport bound for Maiquetía. The flight was carrying 71 people, including the crew and 62 passengers.
During the climb to FL310, while the aircraft was passing through approximately 12,000 feet, a cabin pressurization issue occurred. The cabin crew reported a heavy air leak originating from the right forward emergency door, which was subsequently confirmed by the activation of the pressurization flow light in the cockpit. In response, the pilot requested authorization from the Maiquetía Area Control Center (ACC) to maintain an altitude of 12,000 feet to manage the pressure differential. The aircraft landed safely at Maiquetía International Airport at 15:50 UTC with no injuries reported.
The investigation
The JIAAC investigation included a review of pilot licenses, maintenance records, and aircraft documentation. Inspections of the aircraft revealed that the emergency door was out of position, creating a gap that allowed pressure to escape. Investigators found that the door's latch handle had been rendered unserviceable due to the intense pressure experienced during the flight.
Technical analysis determined that a security pin had failed to engage properly in its hole. This error was difficult to detect because the mechanism is obscured by interior cabin panels. Following the incident, the maintenance organization replaced the emergency door and performed successful pressure tests to ensure the aircraft met manufacturer parameters.