Wednesday, August 09, 2017

Cessna 402C, N548GA, Cape Air: Incident occurred August 09, 2017 at Logan International Airport (KBOS), Boston, Massachusetts

Hyannis Air Service Inc: http://registry.faa.gov/N548GA









A twin-engine passenger plane bound for Boston from Rockland on Wednesday afternoon made an emergency landing at Logan International Airport after the top half of a cabin door popped open during the flight.

There were nine passengers and one pilot on board Cape Air Flight 1858 when the top section of the boarding door, which includes a window, malfunctioned and opened.

Air rushed into the passenger cabin when the twin-engine Cessna 402 was about 15 minutes from Logan, according to Cape Air spokeswoman Michelle Haynes.

Because the Cessna 402 was flying at a low altitude – about 3,700 feet – the cabin was not pressurized and the passengers, who were buckled into their seats, were not at risk, Haynes said.

“I don’t want to downplay this because it’s disconcerting at best,” Haynes said. “I’m sure it was noisy.”

Haynes said mechanics employed by Cape Air planned to examine the door frame and window Wednesday night to determine why it malfunctioned.

Jeff Northgraves, a former military pilot who manages the Knox County Regional Airport in Rockland, said the Cessna 402 seats up to eight passengers in the cabin and can seat a ninth in the co-pilot’s seat.

He said the plane’s door is divided into a lower and upper half. The upper half has a window, while the lower half of the door opens into a staircase used to board the plane. Northgraves said it is likely that the upper half of the door popped open because of some type of door malfunction.

Northgraves said it’s likely that a warning light on the pilot’s control panel was activated – similar to a car’s warning light that a door is ajar.

Jennifer Mehigan, a spokeswoman for Logan International Airport, declined to comment and referred all questions to the airline. Haynes confirmed that Logan’s air traffic controllers authorized the pilot to make an emergency landing around 4:15 p.m. Wednesday.

Haynes said that everyone aboard made it to their destination safely. Cape Air’s Customer Care team contacted each passenger after the flight landed.

“I was told that everyone was fine and everyone went on their way,” Haynes said. “They had very high marks for the pilot, who the passengers said kept everyone calm.”

The pilot was the only crew member on board and he sits about 5 feet from the passenger cabin and the door that malfunctioned.

Cape Air flies out of Knox County Regional Airport, the Hancock County-Bar Harbor Airport and the Augusta State Airport in Maine.

Northgraves said the Cape Air service to Boston has proven popular. It typically attracts tourists during the summer months, people who commute to work in Boston, and people who use the air service to reach their coastal properties.

Cape Air began commercial flights between Rockland and Boston in 2008, offering six daily nonstop flights during the summer months. Ridership has steadily increased from 11,744 passengers in 2009 to 13,716 passengers in 2014, according to the airport website.

“These positive trends contrast sharply with the statewide and national aviation trends. Cape Air’s ability to attract more passengers – even during these trying economic times – is attributable to their low fares, convenient schedule, reliability and strong customer service,” Northgraves wrote.

Boston serves as Cape Air’s hub with flights leaving year round to destinations in Maine, Vermont, New Hampshire and New York. Cape Air serves 39 destinations across the Northeast, Cape Cod, the Midwest, eastern Montana, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, the British Virgin Islands and Guam.

Original article can be found here ➤ http://www.pressherald.com

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