British Aerospace BAE3201 incident near Rochester, New York, March 23, 1993
On March 23, 1993 at about 11:50 am local time, a British Aerospace BAE3201, registered N496UE, suffered minor damage in an incident near Rochester, New York. It was a flight of an unrecorded kind under charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
FAILURE OF THE MAIN CABIN DOOR TO BE ADEQUATELY SECURED FOR FLIGHT FOR AN UNKNOWN REAS0N.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- March 23, 1993 · about 11:50 am local time
- Place
- Rochester, New York · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- British Aerospace BAE3201
- Registration
- N496UE · no longer on the register · serial 900
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight of an unrecorded kind · charter and air-taxi rules (Part 135)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
ACCORDING TO THE PILOT, AFTER THE MAIN CABIN DOOR WAS CLOSED BY RAMP PERSONNEL, HE HAD A DOOR AJAR WARNING LIGHT ON THE CAP PANEL. HE REPORTED HE HAD FLOWN THE SUBJECT AIRCRAFT FOR FOUR LEGS THE PREVIOUS DAY AND A SIMILAR SITUATION OCCURRED ON THREE OF THOSE LEGS, SO HE PULLED THE CIRCUIT BREAKER AND RESET IT AFTER 10 SECONDS. THE DOOR LIGHT WAS EXTINGUISHED, AND THE PILOTS PROCEEDED TO TAKEOFF. DURING THE CLIMB, WHILE PASSING THROUGH 4000 FEET ABOVE THE GROUND, A POPPING SOUND WAS HEARD FOLLOWED BY A RAPID DECOMPRESSION. THE PILOTS NOTED THAT THE MAIN CABIN DOOR WAS AJAR, BUT FOR SAFETY REASONS, THEY DID NOT GO TO INSPECT THE DOOR. THE PILOTS SLOWED THE AIRPLANE TO 130 KNOTS INDICATED AIRSPEED, AND AFTER LANDING, THEY NOTED THE DOOR HAD SEPARATED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. SEARCH EFFORTS WERE MADE AND THE DOOR WAS LOCATED IN A FIELD ALONG THE PATH OF THE FLIGHT. THE DOOR WAS FLOWN TO SCOTLAND FOR FURTHER EXAMINATION AT JETSTREAM AIRCRAFT LIMITED; HOWEVER, THE EXAMINATION DID NOT DISCLOSE EVIDENCE OF MECHANICAL MALFUNCTION.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot, flight instructor
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 4,670 hours in all; 2,600 in this make and model; 210 in the last 90 days; 48 in the last 30 days; 4,200 as pilot in command; 567 on instruments
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (valid medical--w/ waivers/lim.)
- Seat: left
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,144 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme, March 12, 1993; 61 hours since
- Maximum gross weight: 16,204 lb
- Seats: 21
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: Garrett TPE-331-124AR (turboprop); 0 hours total
- Operator: Atlantic Coast Airlines
The flight
- Departed from: BUF Buffalo NY at 11:29 am
- Flight plan: IFR
- Runway 0
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Wind: from 090° at 8 knots
- Visibility: 15 statute miles
- Sky: overcast at 25,000 ft; scat at 15,000 ft
- Temperature: 27°F (-3°C), dew point 19°F (-7°C)
- Altimeter: 30.00 inHg
- Observation at 11:50 am from ROC, 1 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.