What happened
On Wednesday, January 29, 2003, a SOCATA TB 20, registration F-GTYD, was performing a navigation flight from Laval to Melun. During the takeoff roll on runway 33 at Laval aerodrome, the aircraft reached approximately 70 knots. Immediately after rotation, the right-side door opened and lifted almost entirely.
The passenger attempted to catch and close the door, but failed to engage the lock. Distracted by the event, the pilot turned his head toward the right, causing the aircraft to enter a nose-down pitch. The pilot attempted an immediate landing, but the aircraft bounced on the runway. Believing the remaining runway length was insufficient to stop, the pilot initiated a low-altitude circuit. During this period, the passenger continued to hold the door closed without being able to lock it. The aircraft completed the circuit without making radio contact with the AFIS agent.
After landing and taxiing to the parking area, the passenger successfully closed and locked the door. The pilot then contacted the AFIS agent via radio and decided to proceed to Melun. During the return flight, the crew did not perceive any performance issues. Upon arrival at Melun, the pilot performed a touch-and-go before landing. After engine shutdown, the crew discovered that three propeller blades were bent downward by approximately four to five centimeters.
The investigation
The investigation focused on the sequence of events following the door opening and the subsequent damage to the aircraft. Investigators determined that the propeller blades had struck the runway during the bounce at Laval, approximately 1,100 meters from the end of the runway. Additionally, the nose landing gear showed slight damage resulting from the hard impact during the bounce.
Regarding the pre-flight procedures, the crew had an established division of duties: the pilot was responsible for checklists, flying, and navigation, while the passenger handled radio communications and navigation monitoring. During the pre-takeoff checks, the pilot relied on the passenger to verify the door's security without personally confirming the closure or receiving an explicit confirmation from the passenger. At the time of the check, the passenger was preoccupied with organizing documentation and programming the GPS.