Cessna 560XL N662QS

Summary

On 28 May 2010 at about 16:20 local time, a Cessna 560XL registered N662QS was involved in an incident near White Plains, New York, United States. 4 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

28 May 2010 at 16:20

Classification

Incident

Location

White Plains, New York, United States

Nearest airport

Westchester County Airport (HPN)

Coordinates

41.0669, -73.7075

Aircraft

Cessna 560XL

Registration

N662QS

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Not recorded

Operating rule

Part 91 Subpart K: Fractional

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

White Plains → Nantucket

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

ERA10IA285

Nobody was injured.

The flight crew's failure to ensure that the cabin door was secured/locked prior to takeoff.

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

Read the full NTSB narrative

After concluding the preflight safety briefing for the passengers, the first officer closed the cabin door. The first officer remembered rotating the door locking handle but could not recall the direction he rotated it. He also could not recall looking at the cabin door lock indicator lights or the cockpit indicator, as was required by the operator's preflight checklist. Just after takeoff, the captain recalled that he heard the cabin door "leaking" and the first officer observed that the DOOR SEAL/CABIN DOOR annunciator lights were illuminated. When asked, the first officer did not recall the MASTER CAUTION annunciator illuminating. Had the MASTER CAUTION annunciator illuminated, it would have been one indication that the door was properly secured prior to the takeoff. While on the downwind leg of the traffic pattern during the return for landing, the main cabin door opened. The crew subsequently declared an emergency, and landed uneventfully with the main cabin door open. The airplane incurred minor damage during the landing and the passengers and crew were not injured. Postincident examination of the door and its locking and indicating mechanisms revealed no evidence of any mechanical malfunctions or failures. Because of the close proximity of the amber-colored CABIN DOOR annunciator light and the white-colored GROUND IDLE annunciator light, it is possible that the flight crew inadvertently overlooked the illuminated CABIN DOOR annunciator light prior to takeoff.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.