Cabin door opens in flight. Pilot need to get back to Phoenix ASAP. Real ATC

[@robbroere1384]

Happened to me as a young inexperienced pilot flying a Robin R3140 out of Amsterdam Schiphol in the early 1980’s, straight after getting airborne the canopy unlocked. Obviously I did not do a good job locking it being new on this aircraft type. The noise was horrendous. Declared it to ATC, who could hardly hear me but understood I had an issue, and was back on the ground within 5 minutes. Locked it properly and left again 5 minutes later. Learned my lessons about checklists and do a real check, luckily without getting hurt or worse.

[@JDrapic]

Pilot @3:22: No worries Narrator: He had all the worries

[@consortiumxf]

Wasn't there a plane that crashed in the Northeast after the door opened - Ameriflight?

[@bdcochran01]

Only one on board? Ok. Hard lesson.

[@matthewa8713]

I am surprised at the length of time it took to declare the emergency🤔 Cabin door flying open is serious.

[@thehaprust6312]

If the pilot was up there solo, I can forgive him being a little distracted. Good job on the controller for suggesting it, 'cause it think he understood the pilot's workload and was being helpful.

[@matthewa8713]

​@@thehaprust6312Well Said😀

[@thehaprust6312]

@@matthewa8713 Thanks!

[@mata2723]

As the pilot told "my cabin door is not closed" and want immediate return, it was like de facto emergency as it looked like he wanted to get back rather immediately....but I get it is better that ATC officially make it clear.

[@TWX1138]

I'm surprised they didn't divert him to one of the general aviation airports like Glendale or Deer Valley. He was closer to both of those when he declared his emergency and since those don't handle high volumes of scheduled commercial flights then an unscheduled landing at a general aviation airport would have been less disruptive to the schedule. likewise if he'd taken off to the east, I would have figured landing at Falcon Field or Scottsdale Airpark would have made more sense than returning to Sky Harbor.

[@JDrapic]

If the pilot isn't familiar with the other fields, it could be better just to go back to the one he just left instead of tying up some of his attention in finding information on the other fields, reading them, checking for special conditions, and planning and executing the approach and landing. Instead, returning to an airport he knows on frequencies he knows can be a reduced workload, and so safer. Also, a lot of times the emergency services at larger airports are better than at the general aviation ones, so if something catastrophic did happen, the larger one might be better equipped to handle it. It's a balancing act between "do I have to get the plane on the ground NOW" and "which airport is most suitable in this exact situation", and very much a judgement call that might not have a perfectly right or wrong answer.

[@slowsteve3497]

Worrying about other flights is a non-issue. Emergency aircraft always get priority.

[@brmam1385]

@@JDrapic well said!