Beechcraft C-99 Door Open In Flight Crash! 24 January 2024

LINKS: Londonderry NH
VASAviation: • PLANE CRASH after DOOR...
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[@ajg617]

Update on the pilot according to WMUR. In stable condition (was critical) and scheduled for surgery later this week. Hope for the best.

[@pdutube]

When I first heard about the accident I thought it was fatal. I really hope for a full recovery for the pilot. What a nightmare.

[@therkyn]

AMF pilot from 2000s, flew this particular plane (79 hours). Two main issues - door latch was a critical item - you needed to look and see the latch was fully engaged. There were two holes for you to look specifically at the lock capturing the pins. As to BE99's generally (A/B/C), my experience was this often took multiple tries - one side would latch but not the other. Grab a flashlight at night to check. If it was not fully locked, you'd see it just clipping the bar, but slightly open to the side (e.g. there's be a spot for the bar that would not be flush with the bar). O2 masks in the BE99 are O2 canister based, unlikely he had a mask on. Additionally, BE/99C's with a belly pod pick up ice really quickly and there are no boots for the pod. I can only imagine that if you're dealing with a door open, you're not reaching for the wing boots, and I can see overweight coming down and him finding himself too slow. Finally, the pilot is typically involved in loading, so in cold weather, we're bundled up. Closing the door just gets the wind away. Likely the pilot still had his heavy coat on, but gloves off and hat off. Glad he survived.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

Sounds like afterthought shitass design.

[@JimmysSpeedShop]

Brings back some PTSD 😳

[@therkyn]

SECURING THE CREW DOOR It is important that the crew door drawhooks are fully engaged over the latchpins when securing the crew door. This can be verified by visually checking through holes provided in the sides of the doors, or feeling with your little finger through holes in the tops of the door frames above the latchpins in BE-99s. Unless the aft surface of the drawhook inner radius bears against the pin, the hook is not properly secured. If It comes loose in flight, the door will probably leave the airplane and may severely damage the empennage upon departure.

[@jmevb60]

That has to a terrible design to require that much checking, especially if it looks and feels closed.

[@windwatcher11]

​@@jmevb60 Totally agree. Shutting a door securely on an aircraft shouldn't be this difficult. DESIGN-FLAWED.

[@panzerd18]

Seeing the accident wreckage, its a miracle anyone survived.

[@user-sn8rj4od7x]

Yes

[@tyoung9012]

No fire and the cargo didn't crush him. Came to rest right side up after crashing through those trees. Incredible odds of survival

[@45KevinR]

Indeed, it's worked like the passenger cell in a car, and in an aircraft it can only be luck.

[@alexlowe2054]

Plus he had takeoff fuel on board, and there was no fire. A true miracle.

[@DLRPyro1]

I'm guessing hitting the trees dissipated alot of energy and saved the pilot

[@navion1946]

This was the best ATC performance during an emergency that I have heard in a long time. No useless, stupid questions, just helpful offerings. God bless these controllers.

[@PRH123]

What would an example of a useless stupid question be…?

[@navion1946]

@@PRH123 if you have been on frequency during an airborne emergency you hear ATC ask for souls on board and fuel on board. That’s somewhat useful for the controller but the simple question becomes an immense mental task to a pilot in a fight for his and his aircraft’s survival. It always introduces additional questions in the pilots mind, such as “do they need it in gallons or pounds or hours remaining?” And figuring that out while trying to contain and control a problem is counterproductive in the extreme.

[@wcate8301]

Thank God for level headed ATC controllers! One nasty night my 99 suffered a total pitot/static freeze up climbing into the clag 200 AGL in freezing drizzle and turbulence. P+P=P, I checked in with departure with my emergency, and the controller matter of factly said he had a mode C altitude on me and gave me a speed readout that was about right for the elapsed time from liftoff. Huh? Both systems in the cockpit inop, and no joy on alternate static, all deice been on since starting taxi. "Don't look a gift horse...". My savior calmly offloaded his other traffic and became my audio altimeter and speed sensor, up to 3,000 feet and around to the ILS and right back in. Piece of cake. He then invited me into the ATC facility to share a coffee break. Cool as a cucumber. Once in a warm hangar, the P/S systems worked fine, after giving up a scary amount of meltwater. Turns out the plane had sat outside during a sharp thaw with wind driven rain and a frontal passage and a sharp freeze. Alternate static checked out OK on the ground, and the blockage was too far in to be touched by the pitot and static heaters.

[@YodpilotID]

@@navion1946brilliant answer

[@davidstock820]

Former Wiggins Pilot. I flew for them for seven years, loved flying for them. I thought that their maintenance was top notch and the only problem was the pilots not reporting any issues or squawks. It was not uncommon to get an aircraft and write up thirty squawks, all not previously reported. Very much of a “You flew it in, so you can fly it out!” attitude amongst the pilots. My friends that still work there tell of the airline’s decimating the repair staff, offering wages that Wiggins just can’t compete with, such that the number of maintenance personel is one quarter of what it was. During training, it was HAMMERED on us that you HAD TO MAKE SURE THAT THE HATCH WAS LATCHED!!! Legend was that the hatch would take out the vertical fin and rudder while departing the aircraft! It was pretty rare that I had to delay a flight due to the hatch not latching, but I did. There were some concerning things that happened, but there were only two times that I was truly scared. First was being in such severe icing that I couldn’t see out of any window. The second was a very similar profile to the accident aircraft where some customer required safety wear caught on the hatch handle and started to open it in flight! While some of the 99’s had the “D” ring handles, most had an “L” shaped handle, and the L shaped handle caught on the safety equipment and started to open the hatch! It was the change in noise that alerted me that something was up. I was able to re-latch it without the hatch visibly opening! I was shaken enough that I was “off” and distracted for the rest of the flight. I didn’t know the pilot of the aircraft, but know several that do. I am waiting to hear more about what happened and how!

[@amb865]

I hope he is doing ok - sounds like they moved him to a Boston area hospital and he may? be critical, per a report over on a VAS comment last night

[@CaptBryce]

Flew 53RP for 60hrs, can confirm it has the L shaped handle. That L handle is a death sentence waiting to happen. It’s been reported to the safety dept many times but “too expensive” for the company to change them to D handles. And they didn’t see it as a big issue. So stupid. And CAN confirm the Maintenance has dropped SEVERELY in recent years. Lack of parts and lack of mechanics both. The amount of times I heard or saw a mechanic install a part from NAPA and they would joke about it. 🤦‍♂️

[@rcarsey]

How are their planes equipped as far as avionics? If he can't talk to ATC.. and any charts or iPad also got ejected, if there any way to pull up the ILS frequency, or know his position (onboard GPS) ?

[@CaptBryce]

@@rcarsey if memory serves, 53RP had heading and altitude STEC, and it had a 430W I believe? The speakers in all the 99 are an absolute joke, so they wouldn’t be able to hear them with all that wind noise. His headset was likely sent out the window because that’s what happened to my friend a year ago. Most planes have a 430 or 650. But a few metros and 1900s are still /A. And a few 1900s are KLN90B

[@rcarsey]

@@CaptBryce got it.. so sounds like he should have, at least technically, been able to find his way back to the airport with what was onboard..

[@donalddepew9605]

I have about 3000 hours in Ameriflght Beech 99’s. The proper closing of these doors has always been a very important thing to pay attention to, in fact Ameriflight has even drilled one inch diameter holes above the latch hooks so that you can physically see that the hooks are properly engaged. It’s imperative that you make sure these doors are properly latched since trying to close this door in flight is almost impossible. I most likely have about 300 hours in 53RP. It’s equipped with a cargo pod under the fuselage. This no doubt helped cushion the impact and made it safer for the pilot. During my time at ameriflight they had very strict policies that would help prevent this from happening. The 99 handles icing conditions very well. You did a fantastic job of describing this accident and the operation of this door Juan. Great Video!

[@rocketman374]

I'd be willing to bet you couldn't shut that door AT ALL, until you've landed and you're at taxi speed.

[@chrisjohnson4666]

​@@rocketman374IF it stayed there opening upwards looks like it gets right into the slipstream and if it doesn't come off its a sail screwing up control if it does come off looks like the vertical stabilzer is right in the path...

[@donalddepew9605]

@@rocketman374you are correct. If you have one latch loose, do not ever touch that door until you’re on the ground and taxiing. We had one guy do that, and the door is somewhere in the Mojave desert.

[@donalddepew9605]

@@chrisjohnson4666more than one door has come loose during the time this plane has been in service. The door will come off cleanly with out hitting the tail surfaces. It’s just a very miserable convertible when this happens. One time after shutdown the whole door came off on me because an upper hinge pin came off. That was an easy fix.

[@porkrind]

Looks to me like that entire latch system needs drilled out of the aircraft and two manual latches installed. Ideally, each with a prox switch that would go to a Door light on the cockpit, but I am an avionics guy so what do I know?

[@drmichaelshea]

I had an accidental opening of the canopy on a Van’s RV6-A once. The canopy stayed on the aircraft while every loose thing in the cockpit flew out, much of it binging against the empennage while the airplane suddenly pitched about 45 degrees down. Had I not had a shoulder harness on, I think I would have gone out with my camera, charts, etc. My knee hit the instrument panel and shut off one of the magnetos. It was the closest I ever came to getting killed, but I was fortunate, because of past training, experience, and a calm mind, to get everything under control and land safely, but it wasn’t an experience I’d like to repeat. Needless to say, I feel a lot of empathy for this pilot.

[@davidd6635]

Tip up or slider canopy?

[@drmichaelshea]

@@davidd6635 It was a tip-up canopy. It had not been properly latched before flight and I tried to fix it, a very big mistake. If anything like it ever happens to you, just fly the airplane at a controllable speed, land, and fix the problem on the ground.

[@KuostA]

you tried to fix it WHILE IN THE AIR? As in, u saw it improperly latched, and then tried to reopen it to properly reclose it in the air..? @@drmichaelshea

[@ehsnils]

Your experience tells us that those harnesses can help a lot.

[@DrzewieckiDesign]

OMG

[@Francois8011]

I have over 2200h flying the 99 for Ameriflight. Unless the plane was mostly empty, we always used the hatch to access the cockpit. These locking latches were notoriously difficult to lock. It was also challenging to confirm they were properly locked, as the small opening onto the mechanism was very narrow. The pilot was in IMC, in potential icing conditions, with a roaring PT6 a few feet away from him, and with a very strong cold wind entering the cockpit. It’s a miracle he survived this.

[@707studios]

I had one of those doors come open on me many years ago. I was able to gingerly guide the door to a full open position and then come back around to land. Boundary layer airflow was so strong that I could not relatch the door. My headset stayed on, but my glasses were gone in the slipstream. Quite an exciting start to my day, that's for sure.

[@johnnunn8688]

Why don’t I believe you?

[@707studios]

@@johnnunn8688 not sure? How much time in a 99 do you have?

[@airgliderz]

​@@johnnunn8688the same reason no one believes you.

[@johnnunn8688]

@@707studios I’m aware of the kind of aerodynamic forces you would be fighting against, to gingerly guide the door to its open position and then why would the door stay attached? Yaw a little left and the door would slam shut, yaw right and it would certainly tear off, if it hadn’t already. I’m an aircraft engineer, so don’t have to be a pilot to disbelieve your yarn.

[@707studios]

@johnnunn8688 I tried yawning each way, in a climb, level, and in a decent. At climb speed and at approach speed. The hatch seemed unaffected in all regimes until it was within an inch of closing. At that point, there was no way it would close the rest of the way. As an aircraft engineer, I'm sure you know that a hatch coming open on a 99 was not an unknown problem, hence the structural reinforcement on the upper hinge. As a matter of fact, the company specifically addresses the ability for the pilot to close out an open write-up for a hatch opening in flight. With all that said, I expected it to come off at any second and was most appreciative when it stayed on throughout the approach and landing.

[@harrybenson9983]

Speculative hunch, but striking the power lines may have slowed the aircraft enough to save his life at impact. The guy has used up at least 8 of his 9 lives.

[@user-sn8rj4od7x]

Letting a cat fly the plane might be unwise

[@davecrupel2817]

Veeeery much doubt that. Beech 99s are much too heavy for those lines to have even a noticeable energy-taking effect on that. Especially if they're loaded up with freight.

[@scotabot7826]

Couldn't agree any more!!! Those lines played a major part in his survival, no question!!

[@pedrolopesatc6776]

we know the plane,,,, welll but we dont know the type of rhe Lines ,,,, do you? It is not about about absorb the sped,,, , its possible that Large gage 100kv power lines be able to slightly change the (nose dive death sentence) thank god the pilot survived 👍 .... @@davecrupel2817

[@upgrayedd9732]

@user-sn8rj4od7x Toonces, look out!

[@richwightman3044]

Single pilot IFR freight dogs have a high workload job. I did it for 4 years back in the 90s. Looking back, I am amazed that I survived. I’m glad this freight dog survived and I hope he doesn’t carry any permanent injuries.

[@johncoopes1056]

I did it also in Aerostars. I agree

[@wcate8301]

My ex (a Wiggins alum herself), was a captain for American Eagle, then an FO for "big" American, and she flew with a lot of new hire FOs at Eagle. She was not impressed with flight academy grads and military pilots, but thought ex-freight dogs were the greatest.

[@jimbomac55]

This is absolutely a nightmare situation- door flys off, totally disorienting noise, freezing temperature and possibly precip entering the cockpit, possible and very likely icing as well as damage to the rear control surfaces due to the departing door- all the while single pilot IFR- really not a situation u can b prepared for- this guy did a hell of a job not loosing total control and stalling into a residential area- btw, he apparently recovered from two near stalls- yeah, I’ll fly with him any day!

[@Agnemons]

as long as he is not the one closing the doors.

[@OMGWTFLOLSMH]

*losing

[@blue81blue81]

Former AMF pilot here as well and can confirm everything said about that door latch. They covered it thoroughly in 99 training and yes sometimes it took several tries to lock. Those view windows that allowed you to see the locking mechanism were invaluable. During my tenure at Amflight one of my co-workers left his 99 door unlatched and it ripped off shortly after take off.... perhaps similar to what happened here. It was day time with good wx and he brought it around and landed. He was invited to Burbank for a talk with the brass. Told them the truth....that he made a mistake. He got a written warning but was allowed to stay on. He had no further issues and today is a capt at a major airline. Lesson for pilots starting their careers.....if you screw up just admit it. Most management pilots have made mistakes themselves and are usually forgiving if you are honest. If it's found out you lied you'll be gone immediately. I remember that ladder now that someone mentioned it. haha. Yep nobody wanted to be that guy or gal that took off with it still hanging on the outside. Loved the 99. It was a tank. Flew that thing through a lot of bad weather. Best wishes to this gentleman for a full recovery.

[@poneill65]

Dang, that was one hell of an angle to crash at and still survive! I have to assume he was "saved' by the trees crumpling/collapsing. Still a bit of a miracle!

[@queazocotal]

Wires can also significantly slow an aircraft. Google 'plane hanging from power lines'

[@paulis7319]

When I was in flight school/university in the early 2000's, we did some research on which would be more survivable...water or trees. Our research turned up at about 50/50 either way, for the exact reason you mentioned. The trees provide some cushioning and slow the forward momentum. Unfortunately I didn't keep the detailed info. It would be interesting to see some people do that research now and determine if anything has changed.

[@MattyEngland]

​@@paulis7319Depends if you hit the canopy or the trunks. Trunks and thick branches will slice through an aircraft like a hot knife through butter.

[@medea27]

​@@paulis7319The problem with doing that type of comparison is that there are too many factors at play to make a statistically significant measurement... engine type, high/low wing, vegetation structure, sea state, angle & speed of impact, etc. There's a big difference between your momentum being progressively reduced as the landing gear, wings & tail are torn off by dense but flexible brush... versus a crash into a tall cedar or eucalypt forest where your wings might get sheared off but there's no undergrowth to stop the 3m+ fall to the ground. The physics that work in your favour in one scenario can be your nemesis in another... even materials & attachment points can make a difference between "safely" reducing momentum & staying structurally sound enough to protect people from impact damage or drowning. You can certainly look for _trends_ using that kind of data, but it's not going to give you anything statistically robust enough to hang your hat on.

[@queazocotal]

@@paulis7319 I believe I read that report. And the overwhelming answer was damn nearly 'put it down somewhere flattish, and KEEP FLYING THE PLANE'. Trying to turn to a place where you can probably do a nice landing, versus putting it down gently at minimum flying speed somewhere flattish with no immediate cliffs or buildings has killed so many.

[@zidoocfi]

🚨 As an air traffic controller who teaches other controllers about various emergencies, I try very hard to understand how controllers can figure out what is happening during an emergency, but when first listening to the LiveATC audio, I just wasn't sure what it was. "Icing" or "flight control problem" made my short list, but neither one seemed to be a great fit. Now that we know that the pilot door came off in flight, it seems to all make sense. But no controller could have possibly figured this one out as it happened. (Because I am a current FAA employee, I have to note for the record that these are my personal thoughts and do not represent official FAA opinions.)

[@ThePwig]

The apparent turn back to the airport should give a little clue to me. But then all the direction changes would throw that away. I would’ve assumed control problems.

[@WOFFY-qc9te]

I think once the door immediately departed the aircraft it made contact with the horizontal stabiliser and rudder. I don't think he had any opportunity to shut the door and was fighting control issues. That would fit with the erratic altitude and track. Good report and pleased he survived. Ps, that is a very bad design for door mechanism, one sprocket has only three teeth engaged, any slack and that would jump.

[@catherinenelson4162]

Thank you for your post.

[@robinmyman]

As a GA pilot listening to the radio and radar plot/ADSB track…and knowing most ATCs are not pilots…very difficult to determine. Ident would have indicated Pilot listening/ hearing. Glad Pilot survived and no one on ground hurt.

[@appamaddox8190]

Gremlins.

[@scanchattanooga]

Having worked with firefighters for years now, one should never say they’d be unable to open any door. That’s a challenge they love to meet.

[@markstorrs1787]

Especially with the Hurst tool

[@aaronwhite1786]

I was walking on a trail once, when a pickup ran up the guardrail and slammed into the concrete column that was on the guardrail a few feet down. The truck hit hard enough to push a solid concrete block probably 3 square feet around a few inches back and then rolled onto it's side. Myself and some other people worked to get someone into the cab of the truck to calm the driver down until the fire department could get there, and once they did, it was wild seeing how quick those tools cut through the top of the truck so they could get the driver out.

[@MomedicsChannel]

@@aaronwhite1786on the cutters, most modern tools produce about 285,000lb of force at the blade notch, spreaders are well over 350,000lb. You can move a ton of metal without blinking.

[@Garythefireman66]

Never met a door I couldn't bypass 🚒🪓

[@aaronwhite1786]

@@MomedicsChannel Definitely looked that way! I feel like Fire Departments could double their revenue just having "Come play with our tools" days where they let people cut scrap cars apart for cash.

[@lisanadinebaker5179]

All credit to the ATC crews working this incident, especially Boston. They quickly assessed an aircraft in trouble and never stopped providing him useful information. If there was any way to get him home, they seemed determined to find it. True professionals. Good luck and best wishes to the pilot.

[@rowerwet]

A&P who worked on this fleet for over a decade. I had pilots call me over during the morning launch of the fleet to lubricate and reset the hooks on the hatch. The bicycle chain drives two gears attached to eccentric cam assemblies, and the hooks can easily fail to engage the latches fully, but still allow the handle to go to the locked position. I flew in these aircraft for a hundred hours or more on rescue missions and now fully appreciate the fact that they used a flashlight to check the hook engagement of both latches, and more than once opened the hatch, cycled the handle, and locked it again. One former pilot told me about a time he noticed the hatch becoming noisy in flight, only to notice his vest had caught on the handle and was pulling it to unlocked. I have wrestled these hatches off and on for maintenance, they're fairly heavy for their size, and the hinges are relatively flimsy in any direction but tension (locked shut). This could have caused significant damage to the elevator/horizontal if it hit, especially in cruise at 200 knots. These don't have oxygen masks, or bottles, so quite likely he was cupping his hand around the microphone to be heard. Thankfully these have been upgraded to a garmin 430, to assist with navigation. I pray the pilot recovers fully.

[@putteslaintxtbks5166]

Another possible problem may have been water and mist coating the inside windows and instruments, etc.

[@royb.1441]

Oh wow - that is an excellent point!

[@FlyingDoctor60]

When I watched/listened to Victor's video on VAS I kept wondering why the pilot couldn't hear or answer if he was just iced up really bad. Never thought of an open door. Take-home lesson: don't jump to conclusions. Prayers for a speedy recovery-that was a helluva hit.

[@tallishyeti2756]

Another former white and blue BE99 Pilot here. That crew door was always my biggest fear. Some airplanes’ doors were a lot easier to latch than others. Most required 2-3 attempts to get completely latched. You definitely have to check that thing several times before takeoff.

[@dave30076]

My former company had a 58 Baron that had problems with the crew door. Had it pop open twice on us at 6000' in cruise. It's hard to get the door fully closed and fully latched.

[@a1exterminatorsofutah]

I have hundreds of hours in this very aircraft (more than 10 years ago). Don’t forget about the removable exterior ladder that must be removed and stowed in the cockpit. Funky design. I’m surprised there haven’t been more incidents like this one in the 99.

[@davidd6635]

Does the ladder have a secure stored location? If not, or it came loose, our pilot was trying to fly the 99 with the equivalence of a gorilla in the cockpit.

[@a1exterminatorsofutah]

It hangs on the rear cockpit wall, doubling as a latching system for the cargo hold door! I forgot about that part until you just made me think of it.

[@MickAv8r]

The door was found below where the first pitch up and turn to the left occurred. Before the door was found I was thinking load shift, due to the pitch up and then screaming decent, then massive pitch up and stall rinse repeat. But now with the door a factor, the immediate difficulty in control and wild altitude deviations make me think the door struck the elevator when it departed the aircraft. A simple door opening would not really have caused that otherwise. I don’t believe icing played a factor since the aircraft was booted and the behavior of the remaining flight didn’t really reflect what a normal icing incident portrays.

[@AndrewMerts]

I don't know anything about the aircraft but maybe the freezing conditions caused the door to not fully latch when closed all the way.

[@davecrupel2817]

Keep this comment up high, guys.

[@DBarnes727]

He flew over Bridge Street twice, so it may have broken off the second time by. The left hand turn would make sense if the door popped open and he tried to get it out of the slipstream by yawing and turning left so he would have an easier time getting it shut and latched. The crazy altitude deviations could have been a result of distraction with trying to secure the door, or not being able to see the instruments with all the airflow coming in, or both.

[@user-jq2rf4nf3o]

Frozen pilot frozen eyeballs

[@26betsam]

My thoughts too. Load shift.

[@glen6258]

I live in New Hampshire. During the time of the accident it was forecasted as rain but that quickly turned to freezing rain creating havoc on the roads. It wouldn’t shock me if icing played a factor in this incident.

[@GRosa250]

I would agree with you but they found the door some distance from the aircraft so it definitely came off mid flight

[@jonmoceri]

I agree. It's not implausible that the door came off and the aircraft encountered icing conditions. Icing would explain the inability to keep the airplane in the air. Especially if the pilot was unable to ascend to quickly get out of icing conditions. It's the old Swiss Cheese model of accidents.

[@jaylasky4313]

@@jonmoceri so would damage to control surface caused by door

[@awuma]

@@jonmoceri The crash occurred after 17 minutes of flight, so flying in freezing drizzle could well do it.

[@ajg617]

The door was found at a Manchester location near Candia Rd and the Rte101/I93 junction just after his first abrupt turn back to the south.

[@aviationworld8939]

I was at Ameriflight from 2000 to 2002 based in Burbank CA. I flew BE99, it was my favorite turbo-prop from the fleet. She was a no-execute aircraft, if you can get in, you can get out of any airport. My only fear flying the BE99 was forgetting to remove the ladder once you climbed in the cockpit. on the left side of the aircraft. I hope the pilot makes full recovery. 🙏🙏🙏

[@13699111]

Oh my goodness respect for this pilot he's still in the fight for his life .

[@MetroSA-227]

grateful the pilot survived. Having worked with Ameriflight over 12 years and worked on her sister a/c N52RP, I never saw anyone ever adjust the flight deck door. All the doors were loose and the issue of airworthiness is debatable, the deice boots are visually looked at for holes and tears, but never inflated to check for holes. I'm surprised more of these a/c are not involved in accidents. A true testament to the strong design of the B99.

[@jakefowler4246]

I flew for these guys and I quit due to poor maintenance. The door, windshield seals leaked so bad I had to wear a rain coat. I quit when the check valve to the engine fuel tank failed allowing fuel from the wing to vent overboard. I had another pilot with me we had electrical failure and landed using hand held com & gps. I had 1,200 hrs in these with a prior operator. It is unpressurized but a flapping door will cause all sorts of problems.after loading there is only one way out through the door or when the aircraft is unloaded.

[@user-xl7ly8ib5v]

I flew the B-99C back in the 80’s. The aircraft were used for cargo at night and commuter during the day. Seats out at night, back in for passengers. A fellow pilot and friend had the “pilot access hatch” exit the aircraft at 5000 feet while at cruise with passengers. He said it sounded like a double barrel shotgun went off, both barrels right next to his head. He could not communicate with anyone, ATC, copilot, passengers. VFR, he pulled the power back and looked down. Luckily there was an airport right under them and he circled and landed. The latches on the hatch is a bad design.

[@robinmyman]

Brings a whole new meaning and importance to the Hatches and Harnesses check. Ask me how I know.

[@new.handle]

How do you know? 😮

[@leifvejby8023]

@@new.handle :-D

[@new.handle]

@leifvejby8023 I bet he is tech that checkes them, so he knows :]

[@dagger4146]

Had the HALT check drilled in to me by a very thorough instructor. It was introduced at the beginning of spin training.

[@new.handle]

@dagger4146 Well, I do remember standard walk-out communication with cockpit over the headset "all doors and hatches closed and secured..."

[@leokimvideo]

Hitting the wires potentially saved his life, lucky it's a turboprop more difficult to get kero to catch fire. I wonder if his cargo load has moved once the erratic flying started. The pilot seemed to be riding a bucking bull all the way to the ground.

[@mlagerson8223]

The second Wiggins BE99 crash in the Northeast in just 6 months. N55RP also crashed in Central Maine under weird circumstances back in July, very close to my home and home airport. It’s not my place to say, but Wiggins does not have a great reputation for maintenance in the pilot circles up here

[@behindthen0thing525]

Damn I used to work on 55rp.

[@jimmiller5600]

They had a problem losing both engines around Lansing too?

[@andrewjousset8200]

Can confirm, worked there for years and didn’t like what I saw unfortunately

[@amb865]

New Hampshire Union Leader has an updated news story naming the pilot with updates on his condition from his wife. Has had one surgery, will have another later this week. Fractures to his skull and face. No broken bones in his extremities. Upgraded to stable condition

[@paulsherman51]

Any direct connections? Please arrange a nice bouquet and card, sign it "from @blancolirio and all patrons" (I'm sure JB would oblige). Can't wait to see the smile and speedy recovery with that!

[@dagger4146]

That was a bad day. I hope the pilot makes a full recovery.

[@DrJohn493]

Whew! I have heard that noise before in a Baron. That poor pilot of this C-99 had his hands really full. On the Baron I flew for 27 years, we had a recurring problem with the door poping open soon after TO. Even after continuous and repeated maintenance and repairs to the door and door pins. And my door latch wasn't nearly as complicated as the C-99. On the Baron TO, the drill; fly the aircraft with all the noise and land straight ahead or return to the airport. It was part of my pre-takeoff briefing to whoever might be sitting in the right seat. I would do pre-takeoff checks by bumping (like hard) the door but even that didn't do the trick every time. Nothing on the ground at idle can simulate a flexing fuselage and door in flight.

[@windwatcher11]

Flexing fusilage. HOLY CRAP. I didn't even consider that. Damn thing could get pretty squirrelly. (Bucking bronco?)

[@ryanwood2093]

I worked line service for Ameriflight around 2000 out of KSLC. We had a few of those C99s, awesome aircraft for cargo. I remember those access hatch doors always seemed a little flimsy, but they latched tight. Amazed the piloy survived. I cannot image what that cockpit would have been with that door open right next to your head, the engine roaring, etc. The pilot should be given a metal. I don't know if he had control on the final descent, but 70 feet from a house I would think he had control and was able to put it in the trees. Having to get out that small door in a hurry would also suck. Not a very good design by Beechcraft in my opinion. Glad everyone is ok.

[@teeanahera8949]

I don’t think your logic is logical at all in saying “70ft from a house I would think he had control and was able to put it in the trees.” This could be coincidence.

[@flyer7694]

When I was in primary flight training, my door popped open on takeoff. Scared the heck out of me and I tried to shut the door. My CFI said F the door, aviate, navigate, communicate. It was actually a good lesson to have and kinda fortunate it happened with a CFI instead of on a solo flight.

[@sethjones9740]

You’re right, he’s going to have one hell of a story to tell. Hopefully in the future, an update can be made. Glad he made it. Thanks Juan!

[@charlesbrown5505]

I had an experience in a Piper Arrow with a pilot who I have been flying with for 15 yrs in 172 and 182 Cessna. This was my first flight in the Piper that my friend the Pilot had recently qualified on. We were up with 2 other guys…weight good… but the pilot was so intense on sharing all the info about checklist and everything that as an experienced flyer with my hat on never saw the ceiling positioned door locking mechanism. We were at 6500 out of Asheville NC going to Clemson SC. About 15 minutes into the flight I was in control of the plane but all of a sudden there’s lots of cold air and the door is no longer latched. We were able to hold it closed with my hands, switching one to the other because of the cold. Flew another 46 miles to safely land at Clemson. Lesson learned and always follow check list and get verified! 🙏🏽😎

[@cadenza3210]

A similar thing happened to my father in a Piper Commanche. He put it into a slip to the right and was able to yank the door shut.

[@B1900pilot]

An airline buddy of mine flew for Wiggins on the -99 based in PQI. The pilot hatch is a mod from the pax version to allow the pilot to man the airplane. The -99 is unpressurized, and why they’re still flying around doing cargo. I’m not surprised given the wear and tear on these airplanes that these airplanes have gone thru. Will be interesting to find why the pilot lost control, especially after it looked like he was getting the situation under control. Thank goodness he survived!

[@Trialnerror]

I trained out of MHT and those Wiggins planes were known to be less than well maintained. Around 5:30-6:30 was called "Wiggins Hour" and you stayed out of the pattern as these flying turds all came in to land.

[@JuanSanchez-ik7wx]

Last august a be99 crashed in Maine and I think it was Wiggins also.

[@thomasmathieu7930]

@@JuanSanchez-ik7wx It was. The flight was a training flight

[@JuanSanchez-ik7wx]

@@thomasmathieu7930 James had 15,000 commercial hours and first flew cargo out of EWB in a PA31 back in 77. Crash has never been explained. Happened at 6pm on a sunny august night with no clouds...3 hours before sunset.

[@thomasrapp2536]

Flying turd, a true New Englandisim LOL

[@mattdecker6791]

This makes more sense than icing. I bet that door took off part of the vertical stabilizer. The erratic flight path reminds me of the JAL 747 crash. This Beech had no directional stability shortly after takeoff, all the way to the impact. Pilot is super lucky to have survived.

[@sunydigital]

That IS a pretty complicated method for latching the door. Easy to see how something can go wrong or be overlooked.

[@CraigGrant-sh3in]

Seems like a double rodded latch like a truck cap has would be a lot better. Turn the handle and it throws the two rods into the lock position also like a garage door latch. The looping chain looks like some engineer was way over thinking things

[@jamesread11]

Got to fully unlock to lock?!?

[@christophermiller833]

Did he hear it whistling cause it was ajar once he got airborne, then try to lock or close it? Something caught in it?

[@martinhicks6020]

I would have thought that two seperate handles/locks might be a better design. No interlinking chain to wear and adjust; and either one would keep the door shut.

[@DrJohn493]

...or trying to save a few ounces of weight 🤷‍♂@@CraigGrant-sh3in

[@brettbetz8801]

Hello Juan. I flew canceled checks in the late 80’s. We had 3 Aerostars in 2 years lose to top door from not properly latching I didn’t kill anyone but the one incident my colleague flew from Pittsburgh to Cleveland in winter with no top door. ( below minimums in Pittsburgh for emergency return)

[@urscreamin4it]

Man that silence was deafening, that poor guy I can only imagine his struggle.

[@B1900pilot]

I’m going to go out on a bit of a limb, but he was at the right altitude to pick up a good load of ice pretty quick, assuming that there wasn’t an inversion. I flew 10- years of my 12-years as a regional airline pilot in the northeast and a lot of it in New England, to include MHT and the weather can be pretty crappy at times…

[@cageordie]

Great analysis. Hopefully one day he'll be able to talk to one of the aviation channels and tell us the story of how he nearly died when his door blew open in flight.

[@catherinenelson4162]

Or, maybe he won't want to re-live this terrible experience. PTSD is the pits.

[@johnstreet797]

would also like to hear that story would it begin "it was a dark and stormy night..."

[@Agnemons]

An "Open Door" policy is not always the best one.

[@paulis7319]

@@johnstreet797 Once upon a midnight dreary, the airplane tumbled weak and weary ...

[@Sweetlyfe]

@@catherinenelson4162Yeah it is, I send you empathetic and compassionate vibes.

[@GrandsonofKong]

Glad to hear the pilot survived this awful crash. Based on these pictures that alone is amazing! My first thought was the cold temps he encountered if that door was fully opened/gone. Just above freezing and then wind chill of another negative 30 or more degrees as well a precipitation on exposed skin. As you said incredible story he'll be sharing..........

[@57Jimmy]

I flew as a passenger once in 1977 on a B-99. I absolutely loved it! It was a late spring flight with towering cumulus clouds and the pilots made it all the better as they would weave around them as long as it didn’t take them off the predetermined IFR flight plan. This was clear because the larger ones they would just go straight through them. This was the BEST flight I have ever been on! That B-99 was amazingly fast! That was a flight from CYCG to CYLW in central BC💕💕

[@thoughtful_criticiser]

Anyone thinking about flying listen, this is all you need to know about the flying community. If anything happens everyone will do everything in their power to help you. My career as a paramedic firefighter is nothing compared to this community.

[@rotorfib8719]

Medic here, you are so right!!

[@ItsKibet]

Wow, hits close to home. Ameriflight operates out of Scranton/Wilkes-Barre using the Emb 120 and the Beechcraft C99. Truly lucky he survived

[@bigjoesburgers]

Wonder if the door hit the tail causing control issues as well?.

[@jaysmith1408]

Was just thinking this, one advantage of putting the props that far forward.

[@kenbakker3241]

A tail strike would explain the very erratic flight pattern.

[@sthomas6369]

I had the baggage door pop open in my C177RG on upwind when I was doing IFR training (in VMC). I turned to the instructor and said, "we're flying a normal pattern to return" which I did and called the tower to inform them as I turned crosswind. It was noisy as hell even with headphones on, the airplane handled as normal tho. We landed uneventfully and parked in an open spot and shut down. I checked the door and found that although it was open, it was locked. It's a preflight checklist item to make sure it's closed and locked, and I remembered doing it, but the door popped open anyway. Perhaps it hadn't latched all the way, I don't know. Anyway, we continued with what we planned to do and everything was fine. The key I'd been taught was not to panic, don't try to close the door (no way to close the baggage door anyway) and just to land as soon as practical, and that's what I did.

[@schecter6l6]

Could be the combination of both trees and powerlines that helped arrest the fall just enough to lower the g-forces at impact with the ground that caused him to survive. Given the door was hinged at the top the likely position of door right before point of separation would be at the top centerline of the fuselage therefore having a higher chance of striking the vertical stabilizer damaging the rudder yaw control. A miracle there was no post fire either these turbo props almost always catch fire post impact

[@captaintoyota3171]

Yeah thats my guess it hit control surfaces

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

Those prolonged crashing sounds sounded like a broken fall. The report says it hit wires -- I wonder if it also hit trees. When he knew he was going down maybe he aimed for trees?

[@markthompson4885]

I thing the fact that he landed down hill instead of on flat ground helped out alot.

[@schecter6l6]

@@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648 If you take it in to the trees the ones in the shot are the ones you hope for not a 50 year old oak forest.

[@schecter6l6]

Yes tree landings can either save you or kill you problem being in the weather you don't find out until your in them.

[@craigpennington1251]

This is just too bizarre. That dude is awfully lucky to be living after that. Always a superb report Juan. Thanks for posting.

[@Agnemons]

As they say, It's better to be lucky than good. It's even better to be both.

[@flankerroad7414]

Thank you for your professional reporting, Juan.

[@clifgee]

I can only imagine the shock of flying in freezing temps, 150 mph slipstream, ice ... all swirling around in the cockpit. A reminder that we operate in a hostile environment, which has become apparent when that thin layer of metal comes off (think recent door departures)

[@firemedic5100]

I hope this pilot recovers. I had a Dr. friend that was killed years ago in a Beech B35, when his cargo door opened. He was working to keep his medical instruments from coming out and failed to control the aircraft. Now this was a different set of circumstances, but a pilot can get overwhelmed, and sometimes pays the price.

[@emdude1784]

How did they find out that he was trying to keep his medical instruments from flying off?

[@firemedic5100]

@@emdude1784 I'm told he had said something about it to ATC.

[@scofab]

Something else that comes to mind... warm cabin, sudden inflow of cold damp air. I wonder if he just couldn't see out the front glass. Thanks again Juan.

[@dalemullins4562]

it was IFR right away but eyes watering , swirling papers and fogged up instruments, had to have trouble seeing those

[@scofab]

@@dalemullins4562 In addition to having the near-field curtain perhaps dropped... ya. It'd definitely shake your egg-nog. "The rest of the story" as Paul Harvey used to say should be very interesting.

[@mikeh2520]

Another good job by Juan Browne for finding the facts for us and reporting. I was wondering about this crash after seeing the track on FlightAware and noticing the high voltage power lines on the path to the crash site. There are nine courses of big doubled up conductors and then two more smaller towers with what looks like two and then three conductors on each. The flashes in the security video are definitely these power lines arcing together. Power lines like these can certainly absorb some of the forward momentum and slow the aircraft. A series of tree tops bending and then snapping can also absorb some more energy. The Swiss Cheese layered model of accident causation also has an inverse with several windows of opportunity or windows of good fortune that serially align in a crash situation to make it survivable. Thanks Juan for digging in!

[@fazole]

I know a guy who got screwed by NTSB, because they interviewed him while he was in his hospital bed, recovering from a crash while under the influence of a lot of meds! His statement from that still stands on his record and pretty much ended his flying career even though the crash was due to heavy unforecast turbulence at night.

[@paulsherman51]

The only thing this pilot needs now, and should get, are flowers and cards from all of us at @blancolirio Everything else can wait.

[@KevinDC5]

during flight training, My instructor opened his door mid flight as a test to measure my composure... it was quite the surprise but I just asked him calmly and loudly if there was a problem. He said many students will either lose altitude or heading just due to the distraction alone. The plane will fly without doors, but not if you cease aviating!

[@bigalsplanesimplegarage4288]

What a hell of a flight, my nervous system kicked into overdrive just watching this video. I wonder why the pilot did not engage the autopilot to help him to get re-stabilize again in flight.. i hope he will be able to tell his story..

[@paulsherman51]

Amen, brother. Prayers from here, too.

[@lionheart082766]

Thanks Juan for the details. Another door issue? I'm glad to hear the pilot survived. I knew that this was more than icing playing a factor. Ice can collect fast but this was so abrupt and seemed more like control issues like an engine failure, trim runaway or stab problems. A high probability that the door hit the tail and did damage. You can see the damaged tail in the post crash photos. NTSB would have found parts of the tail or looking for them with the door. Their focus will be to determine what is pre and post crash damage. In previous incidents loss of tail structure or control can cause the Phugoid Cycle and this seems to be a plausible scenario. What we do know is that the door came off. Again Pilot is lucky and glad to hear he was to survive this.

[@Andrew_B25]

I live in Manchester. It's crazy to see something local happen. These Wiggins aircraft come and go all the time.

[@chrisspores1980]

Happened to me in 1973 as a F/O. Returning from Lake Charles to IAH. Captain's leg. Normal flight nearly all the way. Descended to 2000 ft left downwind for runway 8. within minutes of level flight we both experienced a very loud "explosion". A large hole by the Captain and the wind velocity and wind noise was so strong we could barely communicate. The wind pulled his sun glasses of his head along with approach plate and papers on his side. (At the shocking time, he thought the whole side of the aircraft was gone.) We switched controls , I declared an emergency, (which the controller could barely make out.. Made a left base for runway 14, taxied to the ramp. Deplaned psgrs. The cockpit door/window was still attached to the plane.. Fortunately for us it was a nice spring day VFR and outside temp around 75f.. I can only imagine what this pilot went through being by himself. (If the window was still attached like ours and nearly straight up, directional control was pretty bad but doable) The wind velocity and vibration was to the point, he could not make out clearly the instruments because the wind velocity made him nearly squint his eyes shut. No telling how we had a non eventful flight until coming in downwind to land.

[@andrewbreuder7364]

Our associate Dean for aviation here at SNHU is a pilot who used to fly for Wiggins and flew that aircraft. He has been interviewed by WMUR and will be on the news this evening.

[@johnstreet797]

Juan your analysis and documentation of these incidents is absolutely amazing! You did neglect to itemize the contents of the pilots lunch box though. I'd be thinking aviate, defecate,.......

[@barrydysert2974]

😅

[@amb865]

And a big shout out to VAS Aviation for posting the audio so quickly and alerting Juan!

[@EnergeticWaves]

lol

[@pauldzim]

What an absolutely bizarre incident! And can you imagine being trapped in the wreckage, knowing that you have a couple hundred gallons of fuel on board that could go up at any time? Here's hoping the pilot makes a full recovery.

[@wayneroyal3137]

Great breakdown Juan, it is going to be very interesting to hear what happened from the pilot. So glad he survived this. Thank you for what you do.

[@musketman7804]

I had this exact same thing happen to me. I use to fly a Beech 99 with the same crew door setup. We only had the one '99 so I don;t know about others but on this one when you closed the latch it had to go to one last click you couldn't hear but could barely feel. Right after takeoff the front of the door opened slightly. Through just instinct, I grabbed the door handle just as the door came open. There was enough force I couldn't remove my hand from the handle. I guess I was lucky, I had to fly with just my right hand to work the controls and the throttle and came back around and landed at Port Columbus. This was back in the Purolator Courier days when Purolator was based at Port Coumbus. My left arm was black and blue for a month afterwards. The lonly other issue I ever had with the 99 was just remembering to bring the crew ladder in before shutting the door. That is another whole story.

[@National757]

Have a bunch of hours in that tail number. Back in 1989. And thousands of hours in Beech 99 freighters. Previous incidents of those crew doors opening in flight, usually the result of not being latched correctly, have resulted in the crew door separating, going up and over the aircraft, and striking the right horizontal stabilizer. Causing damage to the stabilizer. The aircraft is equipped with heated windshields, wing boots, horizontal stab boots, heated inlets on the PT-6's, and heated props. The Be-99 is unpressurized. There is no onboard installed oxygen system. The oxygen system is a hand held bottle. Carried onboard by the pilot. With a mask that has no comms. Normally not even carried unless planning a flight above 10,000'. A crew door opening at the speeds he was going would have been ripped off immediately. Far to much force, and would happen way to fast, to even attempt holding it down and attempting to close it. It would be an explosive event. Early in the take off roll you could close it. But not inflight.

[@amb865]

Thank you for that info

[@paulsherman51]

Did any incident ever happen when solo?

[@National757]

@@paulsherman51 Back in my day, all Be-99 freighters were single pilot. Except for training. So were the Metroliners.

[@paulsherman51]

Wow. Speechless. @@National757

[@spyersecol0013]

I have worked on this plane as an A&P. Sad to see the ending for this one. (this was 15 years ago). And yet another plane mentioned in the comments 55RP has crashed I worked on also... Good grief what a coincidence. I also actually had to clean out the birdstrike aircraft shown. What a mess that was. What a trip down memory lane...

[@carltrano1325]

As usual great information. Thank goodness the pilot lived to fly another day.

[@jschmadeke4life]

I showed your video to my high school physics class and the kids were fully engaged in what you had to say. We are finishing up a unit on forces in flight and flight control surfaces. You do such a great job with your explanations!

[@Sylvan_dB]

ATC - I could never do it. So hard to know that pilot is in trouble, not knowing what he's dealing with, hoping against hope it's going to work out.

[@MomedicsChannel]

You quickly realize there’s nothing you can do other than your job. It’s just a thing you accept

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

@@MomedicsChannel Can't help yet but have your heart sink to realize that there's been an accident of some kind. You do everything you can that would possibly help the stricken craft to safety.

[@Byzmax]

Could it be that the open door and the temps outside caused the cockpit and instruments to fog up and become unreadable. Given the conditions and the possible damage caused by the departing door it is amazing the pilot survived.

[@dalemullins4562]

thinking that too, eyes watering ,all the paperwork swirling around instant fogging, icing , possible control issues, yikes

[@matthewenerson2095]

Few years ago the top door on an Aerostar popped open. Pilot went to grab the door and chopped his fingers off in the prop. Was able to wrap up his hand and land safely. Single pilot freight.

[@danroll81]

This one is scary. IMC, freezing rain, single pilot. I can only imagine the struggle this pilot was going through. True miracle he survived this. I once had a door popped open in a Beechcraft Baron on takeoff and it was very loud and really startling, very easy to forget to fly the aircraft if you fall into the trap of trying uselessly to close it. I can only imagine on a Kingair right on his side the door completely gone in those conditions. He is very lucky to be alive.

[@paulsherman51]

Someone upstairs really doing great job working that miracle. Is it cost-cutting measure on part of that cargo airline to fly a fast twin in IFR conditions with solo pilot? Beginning to think of more disgust for capitalism.

[@DougBow96]

Thanks Juan for the update

[@JAGRAFX]

In the company King Air the PIC was always the one who double checked the door latching.

[@bensonfilmworks7595]

Lots of great comments here. One not mentioned is the cargo. "An airplane with forward C.G. flies poorly. An airplane with aft C.G. flies once"

[@feralfpv3768]

Trevor Jacob's door came open also and sucked him out of his A/C, luckily he had a parachute on

[@christurner6854]

I love youtubers where everything is done in one take - because they know what they're talking about

[@VonMoniker]

Hi Juan, In case you didn't hear, the door was found in a neighborhood in Manchester. It apparently separated from the aircraft during the initial climb. I wish the pilot a speedy recovery.

[@lastdance2099]

He said that in the video.

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

@@lastdance2099 Yeah, and showed it. That had to be wild. What does that do to flyability anyhow?

[@VonMoniker]

@@lastdance2099 Yeah, should've watched the WHOLE vid, sheesh.

[@ndenise3460]

About 25 hrs ago. Pacific coastal in yvr had an airstair door come off a B99 .it beat the snot out of the stabilizer: 30 degree bend halfway along it. Wish I knew where the pic went

[@kari53]

I wonder if he lost perhaps his vision with so much air flying around him. It would have been cold and tears flying out of your eyes. Possibly. Or if the door came off and hit a control surface on the tail.

[@amb865]

That’s what I’m thinking - tearing up, glasses gone, cold air and freezing rain entering the cockpit and coating the pilot and the controls

[@OldStreetDoc]

Prayers for this pilot’s recovery. He is going to have a heckova story to tell… and I’m interested in hearing it. With the door gone, would the cockpit be filled with rushing freezing rain? Could that have been what was causing the erratic flying?

[@hueginvieny7959]

What a crazy incident. The pilot is very lucky. Amazing a door caused all this

[@pomerau]

He's alive at the moment, but I don't think he was lucky at all. What an unfathomably terrifying and life threatening few minutes for him.

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

@@pomerau Being able to tell what happened to the aircraft will be helpful to other flyers, as he wouldn't have had to actually die to find out.

[@JonnyJetPilot]

From what I remember of the Beech 99, the bleed air is selectable on/off from the cockpit. If you miss that, then you have no instrument air for gyros or pressure for the de-ice boots. Add a "departed" door in the mix with possible flight control damage... Bad deal.

[@wturn5354]

I think there is a good possibility the door hit some control surfaces as it departed. The severe altitude and airspeed changes are wild. I worked both MHT tower and approach years ago and never observed a WIG BE99 with that rate of climb! Hopefully the pilot will make a full recovery and clear up all our conjecture.

[@324bear]

Thank You for another great video

[@Jim-fp3kt]

This poor guy, dealing with the wind noise, PT6 prop noise, wind chill factor, then the disorientation in IMC, crashing AND surviving! Yes I would say he has a story to tell.

[@paulsherman51]

Board of Directors and the major shareholders (who are they?) of that cargo airline have more of an interesting story to tell. Cost-saving policy for solo pilot ops on twin/IFR routes? Unions need to DEMAND no more solo flights, especially this airline and this season. FAA immediate intervention?

[@tn255]

Great analysis, like usual..JB.. Really nice " assist" work from ATC...so glad this guy survived...hope he not too badly* hurt. 💙

[@paulsherman51]

Get well soon, pilot. May we organize a special recovery group hug from all here, and any that might know him? Let's all show 'em some love, folks. He did an amazing job.

[@joeg5414]

I figures once I heard the ATC recording Kerry McCauley posted over the weekend. My assumption was something was damaged when it came off.

[@MikeF1189]

I bet it ripped his glasses off his face. Can't see, can't fly.

[@jaysmith1408]

Was just thinking about the airflow. Never mind my glasses (though when asked by the lady at the dmv whether I needed my glasses to drive, I replied that, no, I needed them to find my truck), but whether the airflow (even better, just behind the props) would create such a draft that you could hardly open your eyes at all.

[@johnstreet797]

could be

[@SeekingTheLoveThatGodMeans7648]

Pilots that need eyeglasses are supposed to stow a second set on board, right?

[@incandescentwithrage]

Doesn't seem plausible with just one door open

[@CanuckBeaver]

Glasses gone out the door with the wind.

[@jimkinkema2575]

I’ve worked on these cargo airplanes for 28 years we’ve lost three doors without any problems. Years ago we put a secondary latch on and haven’t lost the door since. There were no doors left to buy so we had to order the parts and build one the last time.

[@Titiboy320]

This isn’t the 1st time one of these cockpit hatches have come open in flight. After doing that procedure you mentioned to lock the hatch in place, the best thing to do not in the manual is to shine a flashlight down towards the latching mechanism. This way you can see that the hooks are in place. Many times I’ve looked down there and it’s not completely seated. Then you open and close it again then check with the flashlight. One of these hatches came open on a coworker once, luckily that person made it back safely. Afterwards the operator we worked for emphasized the use of the flashlight technique.

[@EyeMWing]

For my money: Door falls off, hits tail, damages elevator and/or rudder, wild controllability problems, which could very well cause a load shift, which causes more controllability problems. It's pretty notable that he did ultimately manage to more or less get a handle on things and then lost it again on the downwind - so something may have changed again late in the flight. Load shift? Did configuring the plane for landing conflict with whatever he did to counteract the damage?

[@CherokeeFlyr]

Kudos to the pilot. I can’t imagine trying to fly in IMC and trying to be on the gauges while getting blasted by freezing cold air and freezing precip. The wind chill factor was most likely well below freezing. I was born and raised and learned to fly in New England and Wiggins has had a poor reputation for as long as I can remember. Thank you to the first responders, power line crews and civilians who responded to the accident.