A BE58 BARON PLT LOSES COM WITH ATC WHEN THE PAX DOOR BECOMES UNSEATED INFLT N OF RIC.

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AT APPROX XY00 ON SEP/XA/00; I DEPARTED ON AN IFR FLT PLAN FROM HEF TO JGG IN A BE-586C TURBOCHARGED BARON. THE DEP WAS UNEVENTFUL UNTIL THE DOOR OPENED INFLT. JUST AS WE WERE LEVELING OFF AT 7000 FT NEAR THE HANEY INTXN ON THE WAY TO OUR CLRED RTE; HANEY DIRECT HCM AND THEN DIRECT JGG; MAINTAIN 7000 FT. MY PAX IN THE FRONT SEAT WAS QUITE DISTURBED AND I TRIED TO TELL THEM OVER THE NOISE THAT IT WAS POINTLESS TO TRY TO CLOSE THE DOOR AND IF THEY WERE OK; I WAS GOING TO CONTINUE ONTO JGG; BUT THAT WE COULD GO BACK TO HEF IF THEY NEEDED TO OR WERE CONCERNED. THEY WROTE OUT THAT THEY WERE OK AND WE CONTINUED ON AND MADE AN UNEVENTFUL LNDG AT JGG. I BROADCAST IN THE CLR TO RIC APCH THAT WE HAD A DOOR POP OPEN INFLT; THAT WE WOULD FLY OUR CLRED RTE AND I WOULD ANNOUNCE WHEN WE STARTED OUR DSCNT. IT WAS VERY LOUD IN THE PLANE AND I COULDN'T COM ANYMORE WITH RIC APCH; NOR COULD I HEAR ANYTHING THAT THEY SAID. LATER; NEAR THE HCM VOR; I ANNOUNCED THAT WE WERE STARTING A DSCNT AND THEN MADE THE SAME CALL TO NORFOLK APCH. SOME TIME BEFORE WE GOT TO HCM I SWITCHED THE XPONDER TO 7600 FOR LOST COM PROCS; BUT DIDN'T DO IT EARLIER AS I WAS WRITING NOTES TO MY CONCERNED PAX. WE LANDED AT ABOUT XY45. I MADE THE CALL TO FSS AND CANCELED OUR FLT PLAN AND GAVE A BRIEF SYNOPSIS TO THE CTLR I TALKED TO. IN RETROSPECT; I SHOULD HAVE SWITCHED THE XPONDER FROM THE ASSIGNED ATC CODE IMMEDIATELY AFTER I ESTABLISHED THAT I COULD NO LONGER COMMUNICATE WITH RIC.