It’s one of those little problems that can quickly escalate for a pilot in a small airplane — a door that comes open in flight. Michael Keenan was flying a Piper Aerostar twin out of Philadelphia on Wednesday morning when the passenger door became unlatched. Keenan struggled to hold the door shut, worried that it would damage the prop, but had to let go when he dislocated his shoulder, and the door ripped off its hinges and departed the aircraft. He called a nearby airport, asked for an ambulance to meet him, and landed safely (congratulations). A motorist found the door in the middle of a Pennsylvania road about 40 minutes after it fell, and except for the damaged hinges and latch it was mainly intact. Keenan was treated at a local hospital and released later in the day.
If The Door Is Leaving
Key Takeaways:
- A pilot flying a Piper Aerostar experienced an in-flight passenger door opening.
- While attempting to hold the door shut, the pilot dislocated his shoulder, causing the door to rip off the aircraft.
- Despite the injury and the lost door, the pilot successfully landed the plane and received medical treatment.
- The detached door was later found on a road by a motorist, largely intact.
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