The FAA has received at least 20 reports of passenger door separations from the aircraft while in flight and over 30 reports of aborted flights due to door malfunctions on Diamond Aircraft Industries DA 40 and DA 42 fleets. In August of 2024, Diamond Aircraft issued Service Information Letters SI40NG-094 / SI40-171 / SIF4-008 / SID4-200 and SI 42-252 / SI 42NG-145 to increase the awareness of pilots, operators, and maintenance organizations on the importance of correct latching procedures.
The FAA’s Aircraft Certification Service recently issued an Airworthiness Concern Sheet (ACS) to highlight this concern to operators and request information regarding circumstances surrounding DA 40 and DA 42 passenger door malfunctions which may lead to, or may have resulted in, total separation of the door.
Select this link to see the ACS:
https://www.faasafety.gov/files/notices/2024/Oct/FAA_ACS_-_Diamond_Door_Separation.pdf
If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Aircraft Certification Service through Dan McCully at [email protected]