Rear Hatch Open PFD Caution

[dwurfel]

When it gets maybe 40 degrees F or lower I get a aural and pfd caution light that rear door is unlatched when indeed it is not. Checking the door comes up twice on my preflight and taxi roll however would love to remedy this. Any suggestions?

[Rick]

When you close the latch handle on the rear door, a pin comes out of the front edge of the door (and the rear) to hold it closed. There is a switch inside that front hole that is not being pressed by the pin. If you look in the hole you can see it. My guess is either a bad switch, or the switch actuator in the hole is slightly bent. Hopefully the pin extends, right! You should be able to test it on the ground by tripping the switch with a screwdriver in the hole.

[Lance Murray]

The switch that triggers that is a piece of aluminum that is easily bent. You just need to take it apart and rework that piece of aluminum that triggers the switch.

[Rich]

The switch that triggers that is a piece of aluminum that is easily bent. You just need to take it apart and rework that piece of aluminum that triggers the switch.

The original one that came with my plane had these really cheesy aluminum activation arms that literally looked like they were cut from a beer can with tin snips. Amazingly flimsy junk that wouldn't hold their shape. I constantly had to fool with them. Eventually I got a replacement assembly and these arms are now spring steel that are harder to bend but hold their shape and no problems since.

I figure your problem is, as suggested, cause by the latching rod barely operating the microswitch and when it gets cold, stuff shrinks, and no longer works. To get at it you remove the passenger air vent and dig in there. Be careful - really tiny screws that want to leap from one's fat fingers and vanish forever from this universe. An alternative might be to adjust the linkage between the lever and the latching rod.

[Steve]

The switch that triggers that is a piece of aluminum that is easily bent. You just need to take it apart and rework that piece of aluminum that triggers the switch.

The original one that came with my plane had these really cheesy aluminum activation arms that literally looked like they were cut from a beer can with tin snips. Amazingly flimsy junk that wouldn't hold their shape.

Mine too. I got an annunciation in flight. Everything looked latched. I landed and taxied to the hangar, and the light went out on the way. When I dug into it I was also surprised at the chintziness of the activation lever. I bent it out slightly, and it hasn't failed since then, but I'm always expecting it to...

[dwurfel]

Thanks all, I will take the switch apart and bend the activation lever very carefully. Maybe in some ways it is good because it makes me check once again. I still have that in prestart and taxi checklists. Have not heard of the rear hatch coming open during flight but that would be pretty ugly!
Thanks again. You guys are a great resource and I appreciate it. Dave

[Rich]

Thanks all, I will take the switch apart and bend the activation lever very carefully. Maybe in some ways it is good because it makes me check once again. I still have that in prestart and taxi checklists. Have not heard of the rear hatch coming open during flight but that would be pretty ugly!
Thanks again. You guys are a great resource and I appreciate it. Dave

There have been quite a number of instances of the rear hatch opening in flight and as you might expect it departs the airplane forthwith. No accidents have been caused by this, however.