PLT OF AN SMA SEL LOST A MAIN LNDG GEAR DOOR DURING DSCNT CAUSING SKIN DAMAGE TO THE ACFT. SUBSEQUENTLY; FLEW ACFT WITHOUT A FERRY PERMIT.

Narrative

ON AN 8 MI VISUAL APCH TO UGN; L MAIN GEAR DOOR CAME APART AND SLAMMED INTO THE SIDE OF ACFT. I DID NOT ORIGINALLY KNOW CAUSE OF IMPACT AND CONTINUED VIBRATION. I STOPPED DSCNT AS I WAS OVER WATER (LAKE MICHIGAN); NOTIFIED CHICAGO APCH AND THEN EVALUATED SIT. FOUND SHEET METAL DAMAGE AFT L FUSELAGE. THERE WERE RIBBONS OF METAL FLAPPING. REDUCED PWR; APCH AND LNDG NORMAL EXCEPT 10 DEG FLAPS (DIVERTED AIRFLOW STRUCK DAMAGED AREA). HAD FBO MAINT DEPT REMOVE COVER AND RESET VACUUM REGULATOR (LATTER UNRELATED). WORK ACCOMPLISHED WITHOUT COMMENT. DEC/XX/95 FLEW FROM UGN-CID UNEVENTFUL. XA:00 RETURN TO ARPT AND AM MET BY 2 FAA INSPECTORS AND QUESTIONED ABOUT MISSING GEAR DOOR. EXPLAINED PREVIOUSLY DESCRIBED INCIDENT TO INSPECTOR; SHOWED MEDICAL; AIRWORTHINESS CERTIFICATE; REGISTRATION. ASK FOR PLT CERTIFICATE. CHKED BRIEFCASE AND DISCOVERED IT WAS MISSING (BRIEFCASE UNDERWENT WARRANTY REPAIR AND PLT CERTIFICATE INADVERTENTLY LEFT OUT). EXPLAINED TO INSPECTOR AND PROVIDED CERTIFICATE NUMBER. OBTAINED FERRY PERMIT. DELAY BY FAA 1 1/2 HRS PAST PROMISED ETA. DELAY FROM FROZEN MIXTURE CTL 1 1/2 HRS. TKOF AND FLT UNEVENTFUL; HOWEVER; LNDG TOOK PLACE IN DARKNESS AND ON PUTTING DOWN GEAR ON FINAL; LOST ALL ELECTRICAL PWR; NO FLAPS NO LIGHTS; NO COM. NO TIME TO FIND FLASHLIGHT. LANDED BY EXTERNAL VISUAL REF. NO FLAPS. LNDG UNEVENTFUL. TOOK FIRST HIGH SPD TXWY. FOLLOWED TO PARKING BY RESCUE VEHICLES. POSSIBLE REMEDIES: 1) AD TO REMOVE EARLY C210 GEAR DOORS. 2) REDUCE SIZE OF PLT CERTIFICATE TO CREDIT CARD SIZE SO IT FITS IN WALLET. 3) ADD BATTERY DISCONNECT SWITCH SO AS TO AVOID BATTERY DAMAGE FROM DISUSE.