New member. Rear canopy door question.

[Coolj4311]

So glad I found this group! Have learned more about the DA 40 in 2 days then I have in my total time in the plane. I am newly certificated and earned the ticket in a 2008 DA 40 XLS. Love the plane but unfortunately I rent from a local Club. Nothing wrong with the club but would much rather own then rent. In reviewing some post I have seen a common concern when folks are inquiring what to look for when buying a pre owned 40. I have seen in the threads a reference to cracks/damage to the rear canopy door hinges on the 40. Here is my question and I am afraid I know the answer!!!! I fly a lot and over the last month I have been asked not to open the rear canopy door as it has some sort of deficiency on the hinge which I have observed. I have been told it will be repaired during the next 100 hour inspection. Here is the duh moment. Is this an unsafe thing for me to be flying around with? It appears to be sturdy and no obvious movement but I am very safety concious but do not want my lack of experience to turn into a "what was I thinking moment". Would also like to hit a 100 hours as I am just a couple of hours short Thanks in advance for any feedback.

[Gary]

I would talk to the A&P who maintains the airplane and ask what is the reason for the restriction. Hopefully the A&P has contacted Diamond and understands the problem. There have been some problems with cracked hinges but it can be difficult to determine if this involves the structure or only the paint unless you know exactly how to inspect the hinge. There have been some rear doors departing in flight and there is a mandatory service bulletin to replace the rear door retaining latch. It is possible that this SB needs to be performed. The deadline for fixing this has passed. It is also possible that there is an issue with one of the upper hinges. I can't really give any specific advice on this problem.

http://www.aopa.org/aircraft/articles/2 ... d_D40.html

https://www.federalregister.gov/article ... -airplanes

[Lance Murray]

The aircraft is either airworthy or it is not. If you are told you can not open the door then assume it is not air worthy.

If the aircraft is being operated with a known deficiency then it is not legal to operate.

[Steve]

I agree with Lance.

Steve

PS: Congratulations on your excellent taste in aircraft!

[Antoine]

Jim,

A warm welcome here and hopefully you will in the near future also be in a position to help newer members out.
As you have noticed, we have here an amazing breadth of profiles ranging from airline captain to flight test pilots, aircraft owners, some of the most well informed Diamond resellers, airport manager, etc... ( me I am a plain pilot, but love this group)

Now to the point: you certainly remember that it is our responsibility as PIC to ascertain airworthiness. The FAA expects us to know exactly if the aircraft is airworthy or not, and that's a binary answer. And unfortunately, the FAA won't take: "will be done at next annual" as an excuse for flying a plane that is not airworthy. So it is your call and your head on the chopping block if anything goes wrong.

Therefore, I fully agree with Gary's post above: find out and act accordingly.

About the potential issue, as a complement to Gary' post :
The number of DA40 rear doors that have actually departed in flight is staggering, a few dozen!
most of them were caused by attempting to close an incorrectly latched rear door in flight: the new design latch adresses this and is a mandatory item for a certain range of S/N.

... but I have read of at least one case where the door departed with no one touching it, and this was due to a broken hinge.
The aerodynamic force exerted on the rear door in flight is very large. if the hinge is defective, it is not impossible that this force causes it to break and release the door. While the event need not cause a crash, it would certainly mean a lot of trouble for you.

While my plane has the latch fix MSB done, I now have included in my run-up checklist to actually open the canopy and sense with my hand that the rear door is flush with the fuselage. This may be overkill, but just twisting my neck and looking at the latch lever was not positive enough for me.
Costs 10 seconds...

I hope we were able to help, let us know how it goes and ...

Good flying

Antoine

[Coolj4311]

Thanks Troops... Preciley what I thought and have cancelled my reservation for tomorrow. This further prompts me to want to own as opposed to renting. No other 40's in the area to rent; however, would rather be frustrated than the alternative. Thanks again for the feedback!!

[Robin]

Hi Jim

The rear doors are a weak spot. My DA40 was found to have cracks on the hinges and was immediately grounded. I suspect there may be slight cracks.

I am now paranoid about the rear door. I always hold it and never leave it open.

Great choice of plane...

Robin

[Robin]

Jim

See the previous
Posts on this subject, use the search and enter rear door repairs.

Robin

[Charles]

When my DA40 was delivered to my airport by the previous owner, the rear door was taped over with Duct Tape, and the guy told me he'd been flying that way for over a year because of a defective latch that didn't latch at all and which he didn't bother to fix.

My point is it seems that Duct Tape seems to be effective at preventing the rear door from departing the aircraft. In a bind and with doubts about the integrity of the rear door, I would consider taping it shut to get to a repair facility.

Others have done amazing things with Duct Tape, like this plane that was eaten by a bear: http://news.cnet.com/8301-17938_105-10434561-1.html

[Steve]

I do have a roll of clear, high strength duct tape in my airplane for "emergencies". Haven't had to use it yet...