386 When a Door Ajar Becomes a Fatal Distraction: GA Door-Open Accidents and What Pilots Should Do + GA News

Aviation News Talk podcast

Glass Cockpit Publishing

General, G1000, Leisure, Gps, Ifr, Glasscockpit, Safety, Sr20, Trescott, Flying, Tips, Cirrus, Aviation, News, Max, Sr22, Garmin, Waas, Perspective

4.8 • 730 Ratings

🗓️ 31 May 2025

⏱️ 65 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

A cabin door pops open just after takeoff. It’s noisy, surprising—but the aircraft is still flying just fine. So why are general aviation pilots still crashing and dying in these scenarios? In this episode, Max explores the unsettling trend of fatal accidents caused not by mechanical failure, but by how pilots react to in-flight distractions—specifically, an open cabin or baggage door.

In just the first five months of 2025, four U.S. GA crashes involved doors opening shortly after takeoff. Three were fatal; the fourth resulted in serious burn injuries.

Max walks through each accident in detail, including the tragic crashes of a Beech Baron in Colorado, a Vans RV-10 in California, a Beech A36TC in Pennsylvania, and a Piper Saratoga in Florida. In all cases, the door opening startled the pilot, who either tried to immediately return at low altitude or became distracted from flying. The result: stalls, spins, or uncontrolled impacts—none of which were caused by the open door itself.

Drawing from FAA guidance, NTSB investigations, and personal experience with over two dozen open-door incidents, Max explains exactly how pilots should handle this situation. The key? Don’t panic. Don’t try to fix the problem in the air. Fly the airplane, climb to pattern altitude, and land normally.

You’ll also learn about door designs that are more prone to issues—like gull-wing doors on RV-10s and Columbias, or rear doors on Diamonds—and the importance of educating passengers on how to respond. The episode also includes real-world listener stories, POH comparisons across different aircraft, and a review of FAA training materials that stress proper task management in abnormal situations.

Max reminds pilots that an open door is not an emergency—it’s a test of focus. If mishandled, it can become a fatal distraction. But with the right knowledge and discipline, it should be a non-event.

This episode is a must-listen for every GA pilot—because distractions happen, and it’s how we respond that makes the difference.

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Transcript

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0:00.0	A door pops open just after takeoff.
0:04.8	It's annoying, right?
0:06.0	But deadly?
0:06.9	It shouldn't be.
0:08.1	Yet, GA pilots continue to crash and die because of how they react to something as simple as an unlatched door.
0:14.8	Today, we're talking about how a minor distraction can turn into a major accident and what pilots need to know to stay safe.
0:21.6	And in our update section, I'll talk more about the deadly crash of a citation S550
0:26.6	in San Diego last week, including why it was illegal to fly that approach, even though the
0:32.3	controller cleared the pilot for the approach.
0:34.7	Hello again and welcome to Aviation News Talk, where we talk general aviation. My name is Max Truscott. I've been flying for 50 years on the approach. Hello again and welcome to Aviation News Talk where we talk general aviation.
0:38.8	My name is Max Truscott. I've been flying for 50 years. I'm the author of several books in the 2008
0:43.3	National Flight Instructor of the Year. And my mission is to help you become a safer pilot.
0:48.9	Last week in episode 385, we talked about the deadly crash of a citation in San Diego that flew too low on an
0:55.6	instrument approach. So if you didn't hear that episode, you may want to check it out at
0:59.6	AviationNewstalk.com slash 385. And if you were new to this show, welcome, glad you found
1:05.1	us. And now, if you would, in whatever app you're using to listen to us, touch either the
1:09.5	subscribe key, or if you're using Spotify or the us, touch either the subscribe key or if you're
1:11.0	using Spotify or the Apple podcast app, the follow key, so that next week's episode is downloaded
1:17.0	for free. And if you've been listening to this podcast for a while and enjoy it and feel that
1:21.9	you're getting value from it, I sure hope that you've signed up to join the club to help support
1:26.3	the show. In fact, see if you know any of these people who've signed up in join the club to help support the show. In fact, see if you
1:28.1	know any of these people who've signed up in the last two weeks to support the show.
	...

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