FLC OF CL65 HAS DOOR HANDLE CAUTION MESSAGE. USING DISPATCH; MAINT AND FLT ATTENDANT CHKS; DECISION IS MADE TO RETURN TO DEP ARPT.

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CLBOUT BNA-CVG; PAX DOOR OUTER HANDLE -- CAUTION MESSAGE. BRIEFED FLT ATTENDANT; DISPATCH; MAINT; AND PAX. RETURNED TO BNA AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. PERFORMED 'PAX DOOR OUTER HANDLE' CHKLIST AFTER RECEIVING CAUTION MESSAGE. ALL 8 GREEN WITNESS MARKS WERE CORRECTLY ALIGNED; AND CABIN PRESSURE CHKED NORMAL. ATTEMPTED TO STOW OUTER HANDLE. MESSAGE PERSISTED. RETURNED SAFELY TO BNA. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR STATES THAT HE HAS FLOWN THE ACFT FOR 4 YRS AND THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THE DOOR HAS BEEN A PROB. SLIGHTLY AFTER TKOF; THE FLC HEARD A 'POP' AS THE HANDLE PARTIALLY RELEASED. BUT THEY CAN HEAR A FIRM CLUMP WHEN THE DOOR IS CLOSED AND ALSO HEARD THAT SOUND. THE FIRST THOUGHT WAS THAT EITHER THE GND CREW OR THE CABIN ATTENDANT HAD NOT STOWED THE HANDLE PROPERLY. HOWEVER; WHEN ALL VISUAL INSPECTIONS WERE COMPLETED THE ALIGNMENT WAS CORRECT. THEY IMMEDIATELY CONSULTED THE QRH AND FOLLOWED CHKLIST PROCS. ON THE GND; MAINT WAS CONSULTED; THE DOOR WAS CYCLED; AND NO INDICATIONS APPEARED AND THE DOOR WORKED WELL. THE DOOR HAS WORKED PROPERLY EVER SINCE.