Narrative:

The flight was to originate from franklin, va, with a cruise of approximately 45 mins to land at columbia, sc. The passenger were boarding as the captain proceeded with engine start checklist. When the captain came to the passenger door on the checklist he observed the door completely open. Making this mental note he proceeded with the checklist anticipating the copilot would enter the airplane and secure the door. It is common practice for the copilot to call for a green light upon closing the door. Engine start was completed by the captain and before taxi was completed by the copilot. The taxi check was then done by the copilot and completed at the end of the taxi. A radio announcement was made taking the active runway and a line up-check was completed by the first officer. Throughout the taxi the pilot was keeping his attention on taxiing the aircraft and looking for traffic. The takeoff roll was initiated. The gear was retracted and a left turn was initiated towards the fkn VOR. In the left turn the pilot noticed a flashing master caution. He asked the copilot to identify the problem. The copilot said the warning was due to turning the pumps (hydraulic B) off prior to flap retraction. The pilot then called for flaps us, clearance and after takeoff check while proceeding to the fkn VOR. In the vicinity of the VOR a clearance to cae was received with a climb to 17000 ft. Climb was initiated and through about 4000 ft the pilot noticed a climbing cabin. The pilot asked the first officer why the cabin was climbing when an air noise was heard. The first officer offered to inspect the door and as he was back at the door the pilot noticed the pass door unlock light. Copilot returned to his seat, said noise was getting worse and should he try to inspect the door further. The captain said no and to stay away from the door. Meanwhile the captain was initiating a turn to the fkn airport. After the copilot returned to his seat to explain the flight condition there was a loud bang. The pilot then brought the throttles back to low idle as he lowered the nose to maintain 180 or less. The copilot noticed the oil pressure being at a min when the pilot realized he had brought the throttles to low idle instead of high idle. The pilot then brought the throttles to high idle and declared an emergency with orf approach. The landing check was completed and landing confign was briefly discussed, the landing was completed and all checks were completed. The time between climbing cabin and noticing cabin door unlock light was about 6-8 seconds and the time from noticing the light to failure was about 6-8 seconds. The flight was about 6 mins in length. Callback conversation with reporter revealed the following information: reporter quite emotionally upset by incident as he initially felt the crew was at fault. The more the crew has discussed the situation the more they feel they did not fail in procedures. The company is doing the investigation with FAA waiting for results. It will be some months before reasons can be determined. Location of door light is overhead and slightly behind the pilot position. He feels they really did identify as green. No history of problems with this door.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: ON INITIAL CLB, ACFT WOULD NOT PRESSURIZE. DOOR DETERMINED TO BE NOT CLOSED TIGHTLY. DETACHED FROM ACFT.

Narrative: THE FLT WAS TO ORIGINATE FROM FRANKLIN, VA, WITH A CRUISE OF APPROX 45 MINS TO LAND AT COLUMBIA, SC. THE PAX WERE BOARDING AS THE CAPT PROCEEDED WITH ENG START CHKLIST. WHEN THE CAPT CAME TO THE PAX DOOR ON THE CHKLIST HE OBSERVED THE DOOR COMPLETELY OPEN. MAKING THIS MENTAL NOTE HE PROCEEDED WITH THE CHKLIST ANTICIPATING THE COPLT WOULD ENTER THE AIRPLANE AND SECURE THE DOOR. IT IS COMMON PRACTICE FOR THE COPLT TO CALL FOR A GREEN LIGHT UPON CLOSING THE DOOR. ENG START WAS COMPLETED BY THE CAPT AND BEFORE TAXI WAS COMPLETED BY THE COPLT. THE TAXI CHK WAS THEN DONE BY THE COPLT AND COMPLETED AT THE END OF THE TAXI. A RADIO ANNOUNCEMENT WAS MADE TAKING THE ACTIVE RWY AND A LINE UP-CHK WAS COMPLETED BY THE FO. THROUGHOUT THE TAXI THE PLT WAS KEEPING HIS ATTN ON TAXIING THE ACFT AND LOOKING FOR TFC. THE TKOF ROLL WAS INITIATED. THE GEAR WAS RETRACTED AND A L TURN WAS INITIATED TOWARDS THE FKN VOR. IN THE L TURN THE PLT NOTICED A FLASHING MASTER CAUTION. HE ASKED THE COPLT TO IDENT THE PROBLEM. THE COPLT SAID THE WARNING WAS DUE TO TURNING THE PUMPS (HYD B) OFF PRIOR TO FLAP RETRACTION. THE PLT THEN CALLED FOR FLAPS US, CLRNC AND AFTER TKOF CHK WHILE PROCEEDING TO THE FKN VOR. IN THE VICINITY OF THE VOR A CLRNC TO CAE WAS RECEIVED WITH A CLB TO 17000 FT. CLB WAS INITIATED AND THROUGH ABOUT 4000 FT THE PLT NOTICED A CLBING CABIN. THE PLT ASKED THE FO WHY THE CABIN WAS CLBING WHEN AN AIR NOISE WAS HEARD. THE FO OFFERED TO INSPECT THE DOOR AND AS HE WAS BACK AT THE DOOR THE PLT NOTICED THE PASS DOOR UNLOCK LIGHT. COPLT RETURNED TO HIS SEAT, SAID NOISE WAS GETTING WORSE AND SHOULD HE TRY TO INSPECT THE DOOR FURTHER. THE CAPT SAID NO AND TO STAY AWAY FROM THE DOOR. MEANWHILE THE CAPT WAS INITIATING A TURN TO THE FKN ARPT. AFTER THE COPLT RETURNED TO HIS SEAT TO EXPLAIN THE FLT CONDITION THERE WAS A LOUD BANG. THE PLT THEN BROUGHT THE THROTTLES BACK TO LOW IDLE AS HE LOWERED THE NOSE TO MAINTAIN 180 OR LESS. THE COPLT NOTICED THE OIL PRESSURE BEING AT A MIN WHEN THE PLT REALIZED HE HAD BROUGHT THE THROTTLES TO LOW IDLE INSTEAD OF HIGH IDLE. THE PLT THEN BROUGHT THE THROTTLES TO HIGH IDLE AND DECLARED AN EMER WITH ORF APCH. THE LNDG CHK WAS COMPLETED AND LNDG CONFIGN WAS BRIEFLY DISCUSSED, THE LNDG WAS COMPLETED AND ALL CHKS WERE COMPLETED. THE TIME BTWN CLBING CABIN AND NOTICING CABIN DOOR UNLOCK LIGHT WAS ABOUT 6-8 SECONDS AND THE TIME FROM NOTICING THE LIGHT TO FAILURE WAS ABOUT 6-8 SECONDS. THE FLT WAS ABOUT 6 MINS IN LENGTH. CALLBACK CONVERSATION WITH RPTR REVEALED THE FOLLOWING INFO: RPTR QUITE EMOTIONALLY UPSET BY INCIDENT AS HE INITIALLY FELT THE CREW WAS AT FAULT. THE MORE THE CREW HAS DISCUSSED THE SITUATION THE MORE THEY FEEL THEY DID NOT FAIL IN PROCS. THE COMPANY IS DOING THE INVESTIGATION WITH FAA WAITING FOR RESULTS. IT WILL BE SOME MONTHS BEFORE REASONS CAN BE DETERMINED. LOCATION OF DOOR LIGHT IS OVERHEAD AND SLIGHTLY BEHIND THE PLT POS. HE FEELS THEY REALLY DID IDENT AS GREEN. NO HISTORY OF PROBLEMS WITH THIS DOOR.

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.