G150 pilot fatally injured in a door handling incident (EFKT)
 

4.1.2018, Kittilä, Finland.

The pilot of Gulfstream G-150 (OE-GKA) was fatally injured by being hit by the door while preparing the plane for next flight.

Safety Investigation Authority in Finland is currently doing a preliminary investigation.

What a way to die. :(

I always shudder when I see people opening doors standing under it.

The first thing I tell people new on the GLEX is to stand on the side of the door when opening.

I've seen a door with a broken spring come down, scary.

Agree - appalling waste of life. But when I read the headline, I assumed that it would be linked with the adverse weather in northern Europe at the moment, in particular storm force winds. If that is not the case, then Gulfstream may have some questions to answer.

I think he knew how to open a door safely. He was a TRE/IRE on the G100, G150, G200, G280 and was G650 rated. A well respected gentleman. Trim Stab, I’m with you.

First at all I want to say that is very sad what happened. And my thoughts are with his family and who knew him.

I do not know the specifics of this accident, my comment was more in general on what I often see.
Everybody knows how to safely open a door when everything goes as it should.
Unfortunately sometimes things break and if you are not ready it can be very dangerous. Talking from my experience on the type I fly, if something break in the door system and you are at the wrong place, you would be lucky to get away with it.

That he was very experienced and respected and he knew how to open the door, does not mean that we should not try to learn(or relearn) how to avoid accidents.

This article says that the he was hit by a flying door.

https://www.rt.com/news/415098-priva...r-kills-pilot/

From this, looking at the picture it looks like the passenger door is ok, but the cargo door might be missing.

https://www.is.fi/kotimaa/art-2000005513390.html

Here a different take

https://yle.fi/uutiset/osasto/news/p...ident/10007475

Also sounds like the aircraft was pressurized on the ground.

Is it possible to presurize significantly above ground pressure (to the point of the cargo door departing in an explosive way?!)

From flydive's first link.Baggage door it would seem to me. Left open in strong wind? Where is the METAR when you need it.

No, the baggage door is there- it hinges forward

I'm still baffled by this one. Was the aircraft pressurized? Wind related?

Is the main door spring assisted? I have had springs fracture in cold weather when operated albeit not a door spring.

No idea about the Gulfs ("they" won´t let me play with really sophisticated toys), but on the Sovereign I fly since 2007 we had 4 (!!) SBs to make the freezing over of a moisture trap in the air / press control system go away. This blockade would leave the outflow valves without the required air to open - so when you start the APU with doors closed, the moment you push the bleed air on button, the cabin pressurizes. At least two sovereigns had their doors blown off this way. (or rather when the crews opened the doors) I had the cabin valves not opening twice, both times when the airplane was overnighting in Helsinki in really freezing temperatures. Fortunately we had read about the misfortunes of a Citation shares pilot (IIRC) who had left his airplane together with the door with the same problem when he tried to sort it out by opening the main door instead of switching off the bleed air... thats why we always start our APU with an open door or an open cockpit window.

I had an O-ring in the damper go awol on a King Air 200 once, so that the door came down with force, I consider myself not being "underpowered" and I JUST managed to stop the door with all the strength I could muster - and I had both arms free at the occasion.

Hmm...I've heard of aircraft being accidentally pressurised when outflow valves have been manually closed on aircraft parked-up in very cold places. Obviously, all it takes is to accidentally close the door with a pack running (or start a pack with the door closed)

It may sadly be that a variation of this happened here!

Hmm. Never seen a G150 that can hold 20 passengers. Media can never get anything right.

One of the linked articles says: "...and at the time of the accident the pilot and his co-pilot had completed external checks of the aircraft and were returning to the cockpit. " This does not sound like a pressurisation issue to me.

One of the incidents I wrote about had a crew start the APU and then close the door and do a walk around. The aircraft pressurized and opening the door the crew was lucky that the door just flew off missing them. At least thats what we were told in a refresher.

Not saying that this has happened to the poor guy in this accident.

An acquaintance had the snubber on the 1900 go opening the door, launched her out on the tarmac, i recall her being off for quite a bit

G-150 door kills pilot
 

Terrible.
5.1.2018
Pilot dies in Lapland airport accident

The pilot of a private jet died at Kittilä airport on Thursday after he was hit by the door of his plane. He died of his injuries at the airport despite efforts to revive him.

The Gulfstream jet where the accident occurred. Image: Onnettomuustutkintakeskus

A man died at Kittilä airport on Thursday after an accident involving the door of a plane he was due to fly. The pilot, who was aged around 50, suffered the injuries at around 4pm when the door of the Gulfstream G-150 jet opened as he was approaching it.

The Finnish Safety Investigation Authority, Otkes, has started an investigation into the accident. Investigators said on Thursday that the door appeared to have opened suddenly with some force, hitting the pilot from above.
Police said he died at the scene despite efforts to resuscitate him. They do not currently suspect a crime was committed in relation to the death.
The plane he was due to fly was registered in Austria and had arrived in Kittilä from Moscow. It was due to fly on to Yekatarinburg, and at the time of the accident the pilot and his co-pilot had completed external checks of the aircraft and were returning to the cockpit.
EDIT 12:27 Story updated with more details about the investigation.

SourcesYle, STT