Unsecured Cockpit Door Focus of NTSB Probe Into Fatal RV-10 Crash

Witness told investigators that as the Van’s kitplane cleared the end of the runway, he saw an arm reach up and pull down the open left-side, gull-wing door.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, January 31, 2025 at 04:15 PM ET

Verified

Edited By:

Kimberly Johnson

Fullerton Municipal Airport [Credit: City of Fullerton]

Key Takeaways:

Accident investigators are scrutinizing an unsecured cockpit door as a likely causal factor in the fatal Van’s RV-10 crash near Fullerton Municipal Airport.
Surveillance footage and witness accounts indicated the aircraft's left door was not flush during run-up and appeared open in flight, prompting the pilot to declare an emergency.
The investigation revealed the pilot had not installed a factory-recommended secondary door latch system.
Additionally, the pilot made unauthorized modifications to the primary door locking mechanism and its warning indicators, which likely prevented full engagement and proper alert of the unsecured door.

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Accident investigators are scrutinizing an unsecured cockpit door as a causal factor in the fatal crash of an Van’s RV-10 crash into a factory near Fullerton Municipal Airport (KFUL) in California.

The January 2 accident was caught on a video surveillance camera across the street from the airport. Audio shared by Los Angeles’ KABC-TV indicated the kitbuilt aircraft took off from KFUL around 2 p.m. PST from Runway 24 with the pilot and his 16-year-old daughter on board.