DA40 student and flight instructor report door warning shortly after takeoff. When instructor attemp...

Attributes
ACN	838679
Time
Date	200906
Local Time Of Day	1201-1800
Place
Locale Reference	ZZZ.Airport
State Reference	US
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Daylight
Aircraft 1
Make Model Name	DA40 Diamond Star
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 91
Flight Phase	Takeoff
Flight Plan	None
Component
Aircraft Component	Exterior Pax/Crew Door
Person 1
Function	Pilot Flying Trainee
Qualification	Flight Crew Private
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 11.4 Flight Crew Total 120.4 Flight Crew Type 120.40
Person 2
Function	Instructor
Qualification	Flight Crew Commercial Flight Crew Multiengine Flight Crew Instrument Flight Crew Flight Instructor
Experience	Flight Crew Last 90 Days 130 Flight Crew Total 800 Flight Crew Type 120
Events
Anomaly	Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe Inflight Event / Encounter Other / Unknown

Narrative:

I was sitting left seat and my instructor was in the right seat. Preflight and run up went as normal verifying everything on the checklist to include the doors being closed. Upon takeoff clearance we departed with a left turn out. Upon completing the 400 ft checklist my instructor and I exchanged flight controls and I began to put on the visual restriction device for the instrument lesson. At around 500 ft AGL the open door indicator came on; I checked the front door and my instructor checked the rear door. Discovering the rear door was open I took the controls and he leaned back to close it. Within a few seconds the door had ripped off and at that point I declared the emergency and we landed the airplane with out further incident. There is a clip on the door that is supposed to hold the rear door closed in the event of it coming open in-flight. In the brief moment before my instructor turned back I glanced back over my left shoulder and could see the wing of the aircraft through the crack between the fuselage and the rear door. Even with my instructor holding the handle of the door the clip was unable to keep it closed. I cannot say why the door came open but the safety mechanism put in place in case it ever did open; failed.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: DA40 student and flight instructor report door warning shortly after takeoff. When instructor attempted to re-latch the door it was pulled from his hand by the slipstream and departed the aircraft. An emergency was declared and safe landing ensues.

Narrative: I was sitting left seat and my instructor was in the right seat. Preflight and run up went as normal verifying everything on the checklist to include the doors being closed. Upon takeoff clearance we departed with a left turn out. Upon completing the 400 FT checklist my instructor and I exchanged flight controls and I began to put on the visual restriction device for the instrument lesson. At around 500 FT AGL the open door indicator came on; I checked the front door and my instructor checked the rear door. Discovering the rear door was open I took the controls and he leaned back to close it. Within a few seconds the door had ripped off and at that point I declared the emergency and we landed the airplane with out further incident. There is a clip on the door that is supposed to hold the rear door closed in the event of it coming open in-flight. In the brief moment before my instructor turned back I glanced back over my left shoulder and could see the wing of the aircraft through the crack between the fuselage and the rear door. Even with my instructor holding the handle of the door the clip was unable to keep it closed. I cannot say why the door came open but the safety mechanism put in place in case it ever did open; failed.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of April 2012 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.