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 primary causal factor in the fatal Van’s RV-10 crash near Fullerton, California.
The pilot reportedly failed to install a manufacturer-recommended secondary door latch and made unauthorized modifications to the primary locking system and its warning indicators, which would not have warned of unsecured forward latch pins.
Witnesses observed the left door partially open during takeoff and later saw an arm attempt to secure it. The door subsequently separated from the aircraft during an attempted emergency return before the plane crashed.

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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.