What happened
During a Part 135 air taxi operation, a twin-engine aircraft carrying the pilot and nine passengers departed from a runway located next to an ocean bay. The aircraft became airborne midway through the runway. Shortly before reaching the end of the runway, the pilot notified air traffic control of the need to return to the airport, though no specific reason was provided. After receiving clearance to land on any available runway, the pilot initiated a right turn.
During this maneuver, the aircraft experienced a sharp roll to the right and entered a rapid descent with the nose and right wing positioned low. The aircraft impacted the water approximately 200 yards offshore, where the wreckage broke apart and sank in shallow, 10-foot-deep water. While there were 10 fatalities (the pilot and nine passengers), survivors were successfully rescued by a private float plane.
Findings
Investigations into the accident revealed that the aircraft's forward baggage door had partially opened shortly after takeoff and swung into a fully open position during the pilot's right turn. The investigation determined that the original manufacturer-specified key lock on the baggage door had been replaced with an unapproved thumb-latch device. Furthermore, a plastic guard intended to protect the locking mechanism from cargo was missing from the baggage compartment.
While the manufacturer's maintenance requirements only mandated visual inspections every 100 hours, the failure of the latching mechanism was the primary factor. The sudden opening of the door during the turn likely created significant aerodynamic drag, causing a substantial loss of airspeed and resulting in an aerodynamic stall. Additionally, the pilot operating handbook and the operator's training program lacked specific emergency procedures or instructions regarding the management of an in-flight baggage door opening.