Narrative:

Departure was from lax runway 25L. On takeoff, approximately 100 ft AGL, cargo door came open. The first officer made the takeoff. Our first indication were the loud rushing of air and necessity of right rudder for control of aircraft. Immediately, the tower notified us they observed what appeared to be a cargo door opened. Tower then switched us to departure and we informed them of our desire to return for landing. They gave us a vector to return to runway 25. I then requested runway 7R. We were informed to do this an emergency must be declared. With the thought of cargo coming out the opened door, the possibility of the cargo door coming off and if it did, hitting the tail section which could have catastrophic affects on control of the aircraft, I did not want to fly over any populated areas. I declared an emergency to stay over water and land as soon as possible. We were given a visual approach to runway 7R. I then took control of the aircraft and preparations were made for landing. A normal landing was made and after inspection no cargo had left the aircraft. My complements to a very alert tower operator. The cargo door being on the opposite side of view from the tower and the small area rising above the fuselage is proof how observant this operator was. It was morning rush period with a tremendous workload of arrs and departures. It shows the true professionalism of this operator. Had anything happened we may not been aware of, it is comforting to know the close scrutiny given to each aircraft in the name of safety! My congratulations for a job well done by departure, tower, and ground control in handling our flight and putting into effect their emergency procedures. The complexities of coordination of departures, arrs, aircraft taxiing, airspace separation, emergency equipment, etc was not transmitted to us. The controllers were calm and gave us the latitude to complete our prelndg requirements and fly the aircraft in a composed manner. In the brief time that had lapsed from our declaring an emergency to final approach the emergency equipment was in place and standing by. It is so reassuring that if a normal landing is not achieved that such experts are at hand to enhance our survival and the safety of others. I salute and would like to thank all involved for a professional and well done accomplishment. My company is undertaking an extensive investigation into the cause and corrective actions necessary to prevent this from happening again. Supplemental information from acn 186875. I believe this problem could have been avoided if the engineer would have been more thoroughly briefed on this type of cargo door. Supplemental information from acn 186827. The probable cause of this incident was that the cargo door may not have been fully locked before departure. It was, however, fully closed with all warning lights out and a pressurization check made prior to departure. I recommend that the cargo door installed on heavy transport type aircraft have a more positive indication that the door is fully closed and locked.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: EMER DECLARED AFTER CARGO DOOR COMES OPEN ON INITIAL CLB OUT ON ACR CARGO FLT.

Narrative: DEP WAS FROM LAX RWY 25L. ON TKOF, APPROX 100 FT AGL, CARGO DOOR CAME OPEN. THE FO MADE THE TKOF. OUR FIRST INDICATION WERE THE LOUD RUSHING OF AIR AND NECESSITY OF R RUDDER FOR CTL OF ACFT. IMMEDIATELY, THE TWR NOTIFIED US THEY OBSERVED WHAT APPEARED TO BE A CARGO DOOR OPENED. TWR THEN SWITCHED US TO DEP AND WE INFORMED THEM OF OUR DESIRE TO RETURN FOR LNDG. THEY GAVE US A VECTOR TO RETURN TO RWY 25. I THEN REQUESTED RWY 7R. WE WERE INFORMED TO DO THIS AN EMER MUST BE DECLARED. WITH THE THOUGHT OF CARGO COMING OUT THE OPENED DOOR, THE POSSIBILITY OF THE CARGO DOOR COMING OFF AND IF IT DID, HITTING THE TAIL SECTION WHICH COULD HAVE CATASTROPHIC AFFECTS ON CTL OF THE ACFT, I DID NOT WANT TO FLY OVER ANY POPULATED AREAS. I DECLARED AN EMER TO STAY OVER WATER AND LAND AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE WERE GIVEN A VISUAL APCH TO RWY 7R. I THEN TOOK CTL OF THE ACFT AND PREPARATIONS WERE MADE FOR LNDG. A NORMAL LNDG WAS MADE AND AFTER INSPECTION NO CARGO HAD LEFT THE ACFT. MY COMPLEMENTS TO A VERY ALERT TWR OPERATOR. THE CARGO DOOR BEING ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF VIEW FROM THE TWR AND THE SMALL AREA RISING ABOVE THE FUSELAGE IS PROOF HOW OBSERVANT THIS OPERATOR WAS. IT WAS MORNING RUSH PERIOD WITH A TREMENDOUS WORKLOAD OF ARRS AND DEPS. IT SHOWS THE TRUE PROFESSIONALISM OF THIS OPERATOR. HAD ANYTHING HAPPENED WE MAY NOT BEEN AWARE OF, IT IS COMFORTING TO KNOW THE CLOSE SCRUTINY GIVEN TO EACH ACFT IN THE NAME OF SAFETY! MY CONGRATULATIONS FOR A JOB WELL DONE BY DEP, TWR, AND GND CTL IN HANDLING OUR FLT AND PUTTING INTO EFFECT THEIR EMER PROCS. THE COMPLEXITIES OF COORD OF DEPS, ARRS, ACFT TAXIING, AIRSPACE SEPARATION, EMER EQUIP, ETC WAS NOT TRANSMITTED TO US. THE CTLRS WERE CALM AND GAVE US THE LATITUDE TO COMPLETE OUR PRELNDG REQUIREMENTS AND FLY THE ACFT IN A COMPOSED MANNER. IN THE BRIEF TIME THAT HAD LAPSED FROM OUR DECLARING AN EMER TO FINAL APCH THE EMER EQUIP WAS IN PLACE AND STANDING BY. IT IS SO REASSURING THAT IF A NORMAL LNDG IS NOT ACHIEVED THAT SUCH EXPERTS ARE AT HAND TO ENHANCE OUR SURVIVAL AND THE SAFETY OF OTHERS. I SALUTE AND WOULD LIKE TO THANK ALL INVOLVED FOR A PROFESSIONAL AND WELL DONE ACCOMPLISHMENT. MY COMPANY IS UNDERTAKING AN EXTENSIVE INVESTIGATION INTO THE CAUSE AND CORRECTIVE ACTIONS NECESSARY TO PREVENT THIS FROM HAPPENING AGAIN. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 186875. I BELIEVE THIS PROBLEM COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF THE ENGINEER WOULD HAVE BEEN MORE THOROUGHLY BRIEFED ON THIS TYPE OF CARGO DOOR. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 186827. THE PROBABLE CAUSE OF THIS INCIDENT WAS THAT THE CARGO DOOR MAY NOT HAVE BEEN FULLY LOCKED BEFORE DEP. IT WAS, HOWEVER, FULLY CLOSED WITH ALL WARNING LIGHTS OUT AND A PRESSURIZATION CHK MADE PRIOR TO DEP. I RECOMMEND THAT THE CARGO DOOR INSTALLED ON HVT TYPE ACFT HAVE A MORE POSITIVE INDICATION THAT THE DOOR IS FULLY CLOSED AND LOCKED.

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.