Narrative:

During takeoff at fwa, after rotation and gear retraction, the crew heard a loud bang and experienced difficulty controling the aircraft. We declared an emergency, dumped fuel, and returned to land at fwa. Landing and taxi in were uneventful. Subsequent inspection of the aircraft revealed that the main cabin cargo door had come open in flight. As crew members, we had completed all inspections and checks as per operating procedures. We had operated in an extremely prudent manner, yet we were unable to detect or correct a potentially dangerous situation. As captain of this flight, I had inspected the main cabin cargo door twice from the exterior. The door was flush with the fuselage of the aircraft and the lock pin handle indicated in the locked position. The flight engineer had inspected the main cabin cargo door no less than twice, once in accordance with ad 89-17-1 and once at my request. Both times the door indicated closed and locked. But minutes later, in flight, the main cabin cargo door came open causing ctlability problems and an extremely dangerous situation. We survived. The next crew may not. Someone needs to examine more closely the design and operation of this door. Supplemental information from acn 136952: at no time was there any indication to the crew prior to the mishap that anything was wrong with the door. I feel that this indicates a poor design of door warning apparatus. There have been other cases of doors coming open in flight (manufacturer doors) on medium large transport's and heavy transport's, some of which have resulted in the deaths of the crew members.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: MAIN CABIN CARGO DOOR OPENED IN FLT SHORTLY AFTER TKOF.

Narrative: DURING TKOF AT FWA, AFTER ROTATION AND GEAR RETRACTION, THE CREW HEARD A LOUD BANG AND EXPERIENCED DIFFICULTY CTLING THE ACFT. WE DECLARED AN EMER, DUMPED FUEL, AND RETURNED TO LAND AT FWA. LNDG AND TAXI IN WERE UNEVENTFUL. SUBSEQUENT INSPECTION OF THE ACFT REVEALED THAT THE MAIN CABIN CARGO DOOR HAD COME OPEN IN FLT. AS CREW MEMBERS, WE HAD COMPLETED ALL INSPECTIONS AND CHECKS AS PER OPERATING PROCS. WE HAD OPERATED IN AN EXTREMELY PRUDENT MANNER, YET WE WERE UNABLE TO DETECT OR CORRECT A POTENTIALLY DANGEROUS SITUATION. AS CAPT OF THIS FLT, I HAD INSPECTED THE MAIN CABIN CARGO DOOR TWICE FROM THE EXTERIOR. THE DOOR WAS FLUSH WITH THE FUSELAGE OF THE ACFT AND THE LOCK PIN HANDLE INDICATED IN THE LOCKED POSITION. THE FLT ENGINEER HAD INSPECTED THE MAIN CABIN CARGO DOOR NO LESS THAN TWICE, ONCE IN ACCORDANCE WITH AD 89-17-1 AND ONCE AT MY REQUEST. BOTH TIMES THE DOOR INDICATED CLOSED AND LOCKED. BUT MINUTES LATER, IN FLT, THE MAIN CABIN CARGO DOOR CAME OPEN CAUSING CTLABILITY PROBLEMS AND AN EXTREMELY DANGEROUS SITUATION. WE SURVIVED. THE NEXT CREW MAY NOT. SOMEONE NEEDS TO EXAMINE MORE CLOSELY THE DESIGN AND OPERATION OF THIS DOOR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFORMATION FROM ACN 136952: AT NO TIME WAS THERE ANY INDICATION TO THE CREW PRIOR TO THE MISHAP THAT ANYTHING WAS WRONG WITH THE DOOR. I FEEL THAT THIS INDICATES A POOR DESIGN OF DOOR WARNING APPARATUS. THERE HAVE BEEN OTHER CASES OF DOORS COMING OPEN IN FLT (MANUFACTURER DOORS) ON MLG'S AND HVT'S, SOME OF WHICH HAVE RESULTED IN THE DEATHS OF THE CREW MEMBERS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.