Diamond DA40 Door Separation From Aircraft At rotation speed on the takeoff roll, the aft passenger door (p/n DA4-5221-00-00-2) departed the airframe, narrowly missing the tail plane and rudder. The door was later recovered. The aft hinge was broken off and the forward hinge damaged. Investigation revealed the hinge had cracked (then broke), due in part to the materials used in part fabrication and the high pressure placed upon it by the door opening strut (p/n DA4-9052-00-11). The door and hinge are one assembly made of composite material. The hinge is approximately -inch wide. The strut is attached near the rear hinge. It exerts approximately 90 pounds of force near the hinge attach point. Even though the door employs a safety latch handle, when the aft hinge fails the door flexes enough to slide past the stop. Inspection of another aircraft in this operators fleet found another in-flight door separation. Part Total Time: 615 hours. Robinson R22 Broken T/R Pedal Support The instructor and student were practicing autorotations. On the third autorotation, with the aircraft settling to the ground, the student was “inputting 288
Diamond Door Departs
At rotation speed on the takeoff roll, the aft passenger door (p/n DA4-5221-00-00-2) departed the airframe, narrowly missing the tail plane and rudder. The door was later recovered. The aft hinge was broken off and the forward hinge damaged. Investigation revealed the hinge had cracked (then broke), due in part to the materials used in part fabrication and the high pressure placed upon it by the door opening strut (p/n DA4-9052-00-11). The door and hinge are one assembly made of composite material. The hinge is approximately -inch wide. The strut is attached near the rear hinge. It exerts approximately 90 pounds of force near the hinge attach point. Even though the door employs a safety latch handle, when the aft hinge fails the door flexes enough to slide past the stop.
Key Takeaways:
- A Diamond DA40 experienced an aft passenger door separation during takeoff due to a broken composite hinge, a failure attributed to material issues and strut pressure, with similar incidents noted in the operator's fleet.
- A Robinson R22 helicopter's tail rotor pedal support broke during autorotation practice, causing the pedals to bind.
- A Continental GTSIO-520-H engine suffered an alternator failure due to missing tab lock plates on the attach bolts after an engine repair, highlighting a need for pre-installation inspection.
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