Cessna 207A N39AK

Summary

On 31 December 2008 at about 14:40 local time, a Cessna 207A registered N39AK, operated by Alaska Juneau Aeronautics Inc., was involved in an accident near Hoonah, Alaska, United States. 2 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.

Date

31 December 2008 at 14:40

Classification

Accident

Location

Hoonah, Alaska, United States

Coordinates

58.1778, -135.2589

Aircraft

Cessna 207A

Registration

N39AK

Category

Airplane

Engines

1

Operator

Alaska Juneau Aeronautics Inc.

Operating rule

Part 135: Air Taxi & Commuter

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Juneau → Hoonah

Aircraft damage

Substantial

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ANC09LA017

Nobody was injured.

The pilot's failure to ensure that the aft cargo door was properly latched and locked prior to departure, which resulted in an in-flight opening of the aft cargo door and subsequent damage to the airplane.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

The commercial pilot departed on a VFR commuter flight when about 10 minutes after takeoff the aft cargo door opened. The door, which is hinged to open in a rearward direction, struck the right side of the fuselage, producing structural damage to the fuselage and door. The flight continued to its destination and landed without incident. No cargo or mail was lost during the event. According to the airplane's information manual, the forward cargo door is opened first. The aft door can then be opened by grasping the red handle on the forward edge of the door, and pulling downward to release its locking pawls. The cargo doors may be locked from the inside or outside, and the airplane manual states that "Both doors must be securely closed and the forward door locked prior to flight..." During a telephone conversation with the NTSB Investigator-In-Charge, the director of maintenance for the operator reported that during his postaccident inspection of the airplane, he did not detect any malfunction of the cargo door latch mechanism.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.