Don't Panic! How to handle a door opening in flight

[@JeremyJoubert]

I’ve had the door open in flight over 2000 times. When it does, I usually just jump out.

[@Cousin.]

LOL Alright, who let the skydiver in? ; )

[@ss442es]

I did that too, exactly twice in a T-10, but I chose not to make a crazy habit out of it. I've also had that proverbial door pop open too in cruise but it's more of an audio annoyance than anything else. When I started flying in the 1970's we didn't use headsets, we used ear plugs and a hand mic. So doors popping open became more of a communication issue. Thanks for the story guys.

[@jazzyj6122]

Very well handled! Kudos to you! No need to panic, fly the airplane! Great video!

[@JustaPilot1]

It’s happened to me 5 times in 40 years. Ignored it all 5 times. Landed the plane and fixed the door each time.

[@Dtulis]

The very first flight I made as a private pilot with passengers ... and the door of the rented Cessna 172 popped open in flight! After making sure nobody panicked (and remained firmly belted in!), I just continued on to my destination to cover the away UGA Bulldogs football game in Mississippi.

[@josepha7621]

Depending on the airplane, run the checklist (if it has one)! I give this emergency to my students all the time in a Piper Archer. The checklist calls to slow the airplane below a certain speed, at which its much more doable to close the door and usually I get it shut.

[@azarpour]

Great video. 100% agree. It’s not an emergency and not a safety of flight. It happened to me a couple of times and now it’s part of standard checklist passenger briefing. I would add, though, in winter with freezing cold wind blowing in, even though not an emergency, you want to land as soon as practical 😂 and safely

[@LukeKirk1113]

Cold calling towers is unnecessary and clutters the radio

[@flyboy98]

There have been a number of loss of control/stall/spin accidents from pilot's trying to close the door after it pops open during rotation/climb-out. Just leave it! Circle back for a landing.

[@DanFrederiksen]

Good cameras

[@FearMyGuitar]

One of my first solo cross countries as a student pilot, I failed to fully latch the door on the warrior prior to takeoff. Thinking I could just open and slam it shut like a car, I attempted to do so. I only made the problem worse. Of course I was panicking at this point after multiple failed attempts. I stopped trying, turned around and made a safe landing at my home field.

[@joneis1]

Depends a lot on the airplane. I have a 182 and in 500 hours my passenger door popped open at cruise and it was super easy to close and lock in flight. I was flying a Tobago about 25 years ago, gullwing doors, and the passenger door opened on takeoff. It was hanging barely closed by its safety latch and my wife hanging on!!That one scared me a little bit. We landed and secured the door But a Cessna, Beech, or Piper shouldn’t be a problem at all.

[@Mr416cat]

Had this just happen to be recently other than a little noisy and a little windy no big deal but it did seem to me that my airspeed indicator was not reading correctly is this possible?

[@scarybaldguy]

Had the door pop on my Cherokee a couple times on back-to-back flights. Come to find out the upper latch bar was just slightly off plumb. Fixed that, no more pops.

[@YaakovG-i6r]

I had my door open on take off on my 3rd solo

[@wb6anp]

@FlywithKay had this happen on a flight with her dad more than once. The found unapproved parts in the door latch. She bought the plane recently

[@wdmorningstar]

I’m shocked, SHOCKED that a Beech door could pop open in flight 😊. I suspect every Baron or Bonanza driver has had a door open in flight.

[@FlyingNDriving]

Great time for a pan pan call i think

[@Newberntrains]

Flywithkaty had it happen and it happened to a rented mooney sucks cause i had a spare bose set on the head rest and now its somewhere in the trees of georgia