NTSB Factual Report

On August 29, 2012, about 1730 central daylight time, a British Aerospace, BAE Jetstream 3101 airplane, N695MA, had a section of its cargo door separate from the airplane during initial climb from the Kansas City International Airport (MCI), near Kansas City, Missouri. The captain and first officer, who were the only occupants, sustained no injuries. The airplane sustained minor damage during the door separation. The airplane was registered to and operated by M2 Aircraft Management LLC under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 135 as an on-demand, domestic, cargo flight. Visual flight rules conditions prevailed for the flight, which operated on an activated instrument flight rules flight plan. The flight was originating from MCI and was destined for the Willow Run Airport, near Detroit, Michigan.

According to reports from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the flight crew reported, when the airplane was about 1,500 feet above mean sea level, that they heard a bang sound followed by a caution light for the door. The flight crew diverted the airplane and performed a precautionary landing at the Charles B. Wheeler Downtown Airport, near Kansas City, Missouri, without incident. The cargo door area was observed to have a door section missing. The missing section has not been located.

According to FAA supplemental type certificate (STC) records, STC number SA02621CH was issued, which allows the installation of a cargo door on the incident type airplane.

The pilot reported, “This is an incident only ... the door latch was not properly fastened.” The pilot indicated that there were no mechanical malfunctions and that door, which was not fastened, came off after takeoff.

NTSB Probable Cause

The flight crew’s failure to ensure that the cargo door was properly fastened before departure.