Anyone Finds A Door, Call The ATSB.

[planemad2]

MEDIA RELEASE

2004/25

Cabin Door

8 September, 2004

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) is seeking assistance from the public to locate a door that fell from an aircraft at about 0715 EST Tuesday 7 September 2004.

The aircraft, a Raytheon Beechcraft King Air B300, was en route from Brisbane to Central Queensland at position 149 degrees 51 minutes East, 25 degrees South (approximately 14 NM WSW of Theodore township) and descending through 17,000 ft when the cabin door separated from the aircraft.

The door is curved, coloured white and about 1.5 m by 0.8 m by 15 cm. The likely area of interest is bounded by Theodore, Glenbar Station, Flagstaff Hill and Forest Hills Station.

Anyone locating the door is requested not to move the door but to mark the location and to contact the ATSB on Freecall 1800 011 034 (24 hour number).

Media contact: Peter Saint B: (02) 6274 6590, M: (0408) 497 016

[Capt Claret]

Far canal, :uhoh: that'd make the pilot sit upright!

A Kingair landed years ago in the States after the captain had exited the aircraft at altitude, when he went to check the door after the MWS door light illuminated and the door popped.

Incredibly the captain wasn't where the search party was looking, he was hanging upside-down on the airstairs, with his hands so firmly clasped around the cable air-stair supports that he had to be prised loose!

[Time Bomb Ted]

Anyone know the aircraft rego?

[Pinky the pilot]

To quote the actress Mary Coustas, AKA Effie...........
'How embarrassment!!!':O

You only live twice. Once when
you're born. Once when
you've looked death in the face.

[ravan]

Rego is VH KJD. No other problems, no injuries and landed safely.:ok:

[Jenna Talia]

Same happened about 12 years ago when a B200 lost its entrance door at altitude on route from Sydney to Lord Howe Island.

[compressor stall]

Good job to the crew.

And good job that they did obviously obey the POH - if the door light illuminates, stay seated! Obviously that US pilot was rather illiterate!

Curious to know why it would blow on descent. Presuming a -300 would have been cruising in the high 20's/low 30's over that distance where there is the greater pressure diff. And the door blows when the diff is reducing... :confused:

[kiki]

ist that the new Kingair,,,,,,, well suppose it would be bit over a yr old now...

hrmmm no i was thinking of KDX....

[itchybum]

Obviously that US pilot was rather illiterate! Maybe the warning and/or procedure in the POH was an amendment added after the American did his wing-walking attempt.

[185skywagon]

i think OXF was transferred to KJD and vice versa early this year.

[RSO]

OXF ( FL121? ) was always OXF until it was traded on KDX ( FL361 ) which then became OXF. The original OXF was sold to Malaysia.

KJD ( FL125 ) was always KJD until it was traded on FL194. FL125 was exported back to the US. FL194 became KJD.

[gravitysucks]

......spare a thought for the Eastern Airways passenger still missing their bag which fell from the pod of a J31 en-route Leeds to Aberdeen this week!

[Milt]

To find that door one must look behind the black stump out in the never never.

Did you hear what the NASA guy called the failure of the choppers to catch the sun particle collector as it returned to earth.

An Unqualified Science Degradation.

Could we start to use that term for heavy landings?

[planemad2]

It's okay, they have found it..............

Missing Aircraft Cabin Door Located

14 September, 2004

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau (ATSB) has advised that the door that fell from a Raytheon Beechcraft King Air B300 aircraft on Tuesday 7 September 2004 has been located.

The ATSB would like to thank media outlets for their cooperation in publicising our request for assistance in finding the cabin door.

The door was located to the south-west of Theodore, Central Queensland.

With the assistance of the Queensland Police Service the door will be delivered to the ATSB's laboratories in Canberra for examination.

The ATSB will now be in a much better position to determine why the door fell off.

The ATSB's investigation report will be made public and placed on the ATSB website when the investigation has been completed.

[RSO]

ATSB Prelimianary Report

Report can be found at www.atsb.gov.au/aviation/rec/r20040074.cfm

[newbe200]

Who shut the door??? PIC or 'safety pilot'



And what sort of a joke is it to have a 'safety pilot'?

Do these companies who request two pilots know that the second pilot has been desperatley found in a flying school in between TIF's?

[maximus]

newbe the PIC on this particular aircraft has substantial B300 experience and the "safety pilot" also has quite a bit of experience on type. Perhaps you should take heed of that old saying....."tis better to remain silent and appear a fool than to open your mouth and remove all doubt". :ok:

[OZBUSDRIVER]

Do the Kingairs still have the sight glass in the door to ensure pins are locked?

[newbe200]

Maximus, blah blah mate. ignore the issue.

OZBUSDRIVER, yes they do

[Ibex]

Who shut the door??? PIC or 'safety pilot'

And what sort of a joke is it to have a 'safety pilot'?


Safety pilot.....second officer......tits on a bull...?

Guess you're well positioned to make that comment now newbs.

Yeah, it really tis better to remain silent.

Fool.

[newbe200]

Ibex,

Ibex's to differ mate. that operator USUALLY uses non-rated 'safety pilots' on TWO CREW jobs for executive clients.

So maybe YOUR not in the know, but need to call people names like FOOL to feel important.

so if he was using a rated ex gov pilot then my apologies to all concerned, i did not know. i am simply taking (or trying to) this to a better level by introducing the, what i believe, problems with 'safety pilots'.

there is a big difference between a trained second officer in an airline and a flying instructor with 300 hours in an all glass cockpit when the PIC passes out. I cant believe you dont realise that.

good luck mate
nb20

[hotnhigh]

Newbe, why don't you get your bloody facts straight before you open your mouth. :mad:
As stated the safety pilot was fully endorsed anyway.
As for using other guys during other ops, the aircraft is certified as a single pilot operation. Why start ripping into the operator, who is giving young guys a bit of a look into the industry.
How many of these people are now in the majors after having done a similar thing with this good operator?
Heaps, is the answer.

[newbe200]

hotnhigh,
I am aware the aeroplane is single pilot and am also aware(as previously stated) that both pilots were endorsed on this occasion.

This does not explain however that when large corporations pay for two pilots they dont know one would not have a clue what to do in an emergency situation, which is presumably why you would have two pilots.

Now if anybody else wants to have a go, go ahead, but i would like a conversation regarding my point, not some other crap.

As for 'ripping in to the operator', I dont even know who it is, except they use 'safety pilots'. My main line of argument has been the safety pilot crap.

[Capt Fathom]

I would imagine the 'safety pilot' has a better chance of recovering the aircraft (should the PIC become incapacitated) than a passenger!

When a company charters an aircraft and asks for two pilots, it is because their Insurance company has requested it. The hirer probably doesn't care if the second pilot is endorsed or not. As long as they comply with the insurers demands, their premiums will be lower!

PS I have done charters in C310, barons, etc., with 2 pilots because of the above. It's their charter!

[compressor stall]

Someone might post the link to this, but there was a study done recently that showed the accident rate in Single Pilot Lear jet ops was less than the accident rate in the same aircraft flown by two pilots.

Capt Fathom. You make a very vaild point. I like you, have done the same.

However the aforementioned insurance company is blissfully aware that the aircraft (not being transport cat) may suffer an engine failure at the worst possible time and not one, two or twenty chuck yeagars could get it away in one bit. (a C90 at TWB being the most recent example).

Also, in a 6 seat aircraft, the weight of that second pilot IMHO far outweights any safety advantage of having two pilots.

[RSO]

Newbe200

I agree with you in principle however you should start a seperate post on second pilots / safety pilots ect.

This Operator does not fly any customers who have any formal requirements for two pilots but it most definitely has a policy of providing pilots an opportunity to expand their knowledge and experience.

Back to the core subject - King Air doors

The ATSB press release shows that the pilot door unlocked warning system ( like any other system) is not failproof. Have a review of the POH pre flight instructions. Re read the ATSB findings and see if your pre flight check in accordance with the POH would pick up a full check of the warning system. I think not.

Lets hope the continuating investigation into why the door physically let go brings up some useful information.

Its surprising how little is known by engineers / pilots on just how it all works.