BE33 PLT HAD THE DOOR POP OPEN. THE PLT WAS SO DISTR BY THE OPEN DOOR THAT HE MADE AN UNSTABILIZED APCH AND A HARD LNDG.

Date: 2004-09 · Aircraft: Bonanza 33 · Phase: landing

Anomalies: aircraft-equipment-problem-critical|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-far|deviation-discrepancy-procedural-published-material-policy|ground-event-encounter-loss-of-aircraft-control|inflight-event-encounter-unstabilized-approach

Synopsis

BE33 PLT HAD THE DOOR POP OPEN. THE PLT WAS SO DISTR BY THE OPEN DOOR THAT HE MADE AN UNSTABILIZED APCH AND A HARD LNDG.

Narrative

IT WAS FIRST TIME SOLO IN COMPLEX ACFT. I THOUGHT I WAS READY TO GO SOLO EVEN IF WIND WAS A LITTLE BIT STRONG. EVERYTHING WAS OK UNTIL I GOT INTO POS TO DEPART. I MADE A RADIO CALL; APPLIED THROTTLE. WHEN ACFT WAS ABOUT TO BE AIRBORNE; THE DOOR POPPED OUT. I WAS REALLY NERVOUS; AND I WAS ALREADY OFF THE GND. I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO. IT HAPPENED IN JUST A SECOND. I WAS HOLDING THE DOOR AND TRYING TO CTL ACFT. I DIDN'T WANT IT TO STALL. I WAS WATCHING AIRSPD; IT WAS GOING DOWN; SO I TRIMMED AIRPLANE AND TRIED TO CLOSE THE DOOR; BUT I COULDN'T. I MADE A RADIO CALL TO MY INSTRUCTOR FOR HELP. HE TOLD ME TO COME AROUND; LAND AND PULL AIRPLANE TO RUN-UP AREA AND CLOSE THE DOOR. I WAS COMING AROUND TO LAND. I WAS SO SCARED AND NERVOUS. THE ONLY THING THAT GOT ON MY MIND WAS THAT I NEEDED TO LAND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. I WAS HOLDING THE DOOR THE WHOLE TIME; SINCE WHEN DOOR POPPED UP UNTIL I LANDED. AT FINAL I WAS PRETTY HIGH AND FAST. I TRIED TO SLOW THE ACFT. I PULLED OUT THE PWR AND TRIED TO SLOW DOWN TO WHITE ARC. WHEN IT REACHED WHITE ARC I PUT FULL FLAPS. WHEN I TOUCHED RWY; I WAS WAY FASTER THAN WHAT I SHOULD HAVE BEEN. I TRIED TO FLARE; AND I WAS STILL HOLDING THE DOOR; THE WIND WAS PRETTY STRONG. I LOST THE CTL OF AIRPLANE. I WAS MIDDLE OF THE RWY. I HIT THE GND HARD; BECAME AIRBORNE AGAIN. I DID THIS 3 TIMES AND I FINALLY COULD LAND. BY THE TIME THE AIRPLANE STOPPED; I WAS SIDE OF RWY AND THE NOSE LNDG GEAR GOT DAMAGED.

Source: NASA Aviation Safety Reporting System (public domain). Reports are voluntary submissions and are not verified by NASA.