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once it’s clicked into place. Some Beechcraft have a placard
around the door handle that shows when the door handle
has fully rotated.
After closing the door, push in the upper rear corner of
the door, behind the right seat’s headrest. If you can see
movement or daylight, then the door is not fully closed. It
is almost certain to pop open on takeoff in this condition.
Because it’s very important to close the door properly,
we recommend you do this yourself. Don’t leave it to a
passenger, and even if you trust the person in the right seat
to close the cabin door, you should personally verify it is
secure. Note: The extensive latching mechanism of the 58P
Pressurized Baron requires a different securing technique.
Your BPPP P-Baron instructor will teach you the proper way.
After Landing
I have only been deposed once, as an expert witness, and
it was in the case of a fatal crash following a turbonormalized
Bonanza’s door opening on takeoff. The pilot did everything
right – he continued his climb, flew a normal VFR pattern,
landed, and secured the door. But he failed to complete
a Before Takeoff check for his second departure. In
turbocharged Bonanzas the center of gravity is quite far
forward, and when solo in the aircraft if you trim during
landing the trim may indicate 19 to 21 units up or more
when you touch down. The accident pilot failed to re-trim
for takeoff; the Bonanza pitched up on rotation and stalled.
A quick Before Takeoff check before every takeoff helps
avoid this type of tragedy.
A “door pop” is a distraction event you should first
experience in a controlled manner with a knowledgeable
flight instructor. The door-open-on-takeoff is a required
item on the BPPP transitioning pilot flight training checklist
(with one exception – see the sidebar). Learn how
to properly close the door and check its security, and
experi ence the benign but distracting door open on
takeoff event itself , by enrolling in BPPP.
The Effect of
Vortex Generators
B
PPP has a long-established policy of not conducting the
“door open in flight” portion of the flight training syllabus
in Barons equipped with vortex generators. Several events of
severe vibration and “control pumping” occurred in VG-equipped
Barons during BPPP training. In a poll of Baron owners published
in the July 2006 ABS Magazine, we learned that several other
pilots have experienced this as well. You can read these member
reports in the ABS Magazine archives at www.bonanza.org. It’s
especially important to properly secure the door before flight
in VG-equipped airplanes.
20 AMERICAN BONANZA SOCIETY JANUARY 2013