Piper PA-31T N39EH
8 November 2011 · Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States · No injuries
Summary
On 8 November 2011 at about 18:00 local time, a Piper PA-31T registered N39EH, operated by Travelaire Service Inc, was involved in an accident near Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was substantially damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.
The record
- Date
- at 18:00
- Classification
- Accident
- Location
- Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States
- Nearest airport
- Cheyenne Regional Airport (CYS)
- Coordinates
- 41.1556, -104.8103
- Aircraft
- Piper PA-31T
- Registration
- N39EH
- Category
- Airplane
- Engines
- 2
- Operator
- Travelaire Service Inc
- Operating rule
- Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter
- Phase of flight
- Not recorded
- Route
- Cheyenne → Sheridan
- Aircraft damage
- Substantial
- Weather
- VMC
- Light
- Day
- NTSB number
- WPR12LA030
People
Nobody was injured.
| On board | Died | Serious | Minor | Uninjured |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 |
Probable cause
The flight crew’s failure to properly latch the cabin door before takeoff.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.
Read the full NTSB narrative
The airplane was climbing through 7,500 feet when the main cabin door opened in-flight and subsequently separated from the airframe. The main cabin door was later recovered and examined. The examination revealed deformation on the outer skin on the lower end of the door; the skin deformation was consistent with the door rotating downward and aft relative to the hinge attachment. The fracture surfaces were on slant planes consistent with ductile overstress fracture. No evidence of preexisting cracks was observed. The door latching mechanism was examined and all pushrods, latch pins, and the associated bellcrank were in place and intact. Wear was observed on the upper side of the forward pins at the middle and upper positions; however, the latching mechanism travel and extension of the latch pins was correct. No other anomalies were noted; thus it is likely the door latch mechanism was not fully engaged before takeoff, which resulted in the door opening in-flight.
Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.
Other Piper PA-31T accidents
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 28 Oct 2011 | Piper PA-31T | Toulouse, France | - | Fatal | 3 |
| 6 Nov 2012 | Piper PA-31T | Curitiba, Brazil | Taxi Aero Hercules, Ltd. | Fatal | 4 |
| 4 Feb 2010 | Piper PA-31T | Columbia, Missouri, United States | Missouri Forge Inc | No injuries | - |
| 12 Feb 2010 | Piper PA-31T | Forest City, Iowa, United States | Mayes Aviation, LLC. | Fatal | 1 |
| 15 Mar 2013 | Piper PA-31T | Fort Lauderdale, Florida, United States | M.A.S. Inc. | Fatal | 3 |
| 23 Feb 2009 | Piper PA-31T | Pueblo, Colorado, United States | Aero Oro LLC | No injuries | - |
Other accidents in this area
| Date | Aircraft | Location | Operator | Outcome | Died |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 19 Aug 2011 | Aviat A-1C-200 | Casper, Wyoming, United States | Christopher Burrows | No injuries | - |
| 12 Aug 2011 | Richmond Jim R CCK-1865 | Dubois, Wyoming, United States | Neil Neumeyer | No injuries | - |
| 13 Dec 2011 | Bell 407 | Rock Springs, Wyoming, United States | Guardian Flight | Minor injuries | - |
| 2 Jan 2011 | Piper PA-18-180 | Shoshoni, Wyoming, United States | United States Department Agriculture | No injuries | - |
| 16 Dec 2011 | Beechcraft J35 | Cheyenne, Wyoming, United States | Becker Lawrence D | No injuries | - |
| 25 Jul 2011 | Ryan NAVION A | Torrington, Wyoming, United States | Liddle Cable Co Inc | Minor injuries | - |