Updated DA-40 AD for passenger door retaining bracket. 12/07

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Rick
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Re: Updated DA-40 AD for passenger door retaining bracket. 1

Post by Rick »

Robin wrote:My LAME being thorough has found a crack on the bracket on the top of the door that is fixed to the airframe.

Has anyone similiar problem???
Does it look like the picture below? This is a common problem, and so far it seems to only be cosmetic - the paint is cracked, but not the hinge itself. Our '04 DA40 looked like this when we bought it almost three years ago, and our A&local Diamond center checked it and said it is not a structural problem. However, I are now very careful about raising the rear hatch in any kind of wind, without keeping a hand on it to keep the stress off the hinge. It's not a very good design, in my opinion...
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Rear Hinge Crack.jpg
Rear Hinge Crack.jpg (173.24 KiB) Viewed 2513 times
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Eric N
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Re: Updated DA-40 AD for passenger door retaining bracket. 1

Post by Eric N »

We had this AD/MSB done at the recent annual, along with the infamous rudder cable replacement (see post on that thread). I was charged $519.27 US, including $136.27 shipping, which I consider outrageous. 2.5 hrs labor seems excessive as well. The emergency exit lever work was done as well, for $268.85.
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Re: Updated DA-40 AD for passenger door retaining bracket. 1

Post by Robin »

Hello Rick

Thanks for the pics

My LAME - maintenance engineer has taken the paint off and has found deeper cracks. Most likely from gusts on the open rear door. I have been paranoid about this, as I was told about this when I picked up the aircraft. Obviously not paranoid enough...

Some pictures care of my LAME...

Hopefully will hear from Diamond tonight Aussie time, ie Monday day time Canada.

Will keep you posted.

Safe flying

From a grounded Robin :cry:
Attachments
Rear door splinter.jpg
Rear door splinter.jpg (151.87 KiB) Viewed 2504 times
Rear door 2 loaded up.jpg
Rear door 2 loaded up.jpg (211 KiB) Viewed 2504 times
Rear door 1.jpg
Rear door 1.jpg (195.82 KiB) Viewed 2504 times
Robin
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Rick
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Re: Updated DA-40 AD for passenger door retaining bracket. 1

Post by Rick »

Robin wrote:My LAME - maintenance engineer has taken the paint off and has found deeper cracks. Most likely from gusts on the open rear door. I have been paranoid about this, as I was told about this when I picked up the aircraft. Obviously not paranoid enough...
Your pictures make me wonder if we shouldn't have removed the paint and dug deeper - our initial cracks were dismissed by the local Diamond center as being cosmetic, but I'm not sure how they came to that conclusion without actually removing the paint.

Although, even with the cracks you have, I still can't see a properly-latched door departing in flight - it just doesn't seem like the forces on the door in flight would stress the rear hinge at all. If it were that close to shearing off, I would expect it to break while closing the rear hatch instead.

Sorry to hear you're grounded, Robin - are they sending a whole new rear door?
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Gary
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Re: Updated DA-40 AD for passenger door retaining bracket. 1

Post by Gary »

These cracks appear to be very superficial to me. Let's see what the experts think.
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Re: Updated DA-40 AD for passenger door retaining bracket. 1

Post by Rick »

The part I find troubling is that the cracks "open up when loaded", which would seem to indicate to me that applying any additional pressure to the fully-opened door would continue to weaken the hinge. This would be the case if the door were left open in any kind of wind. I'm not a big fan of the initial design - the strut should have been designed to stop the upward movement of the door before the hinges reached their stops. Once the hinge is fully opened, any additional upward pressure just bends (or cracks) the hinge, but the strut does not limit this movement at all.
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Tim
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Re: Updated DA-40 AD for passenger door retaining bracket. 1

Post by Tim »

I wonder if the strut can be adjusted or modified to reduce the opening and avoid hitting the end stop on the hinge?
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Re: Updated DA-40 AD for passenger door retaining bracket. 1

Post by Robin »

Tuesday morning here...still waiting to hear back from the LAME. Not sure if the whole thing needs replacing yet. I hope not.

Like you I cannot see the properly latched doors opening in flight either.

I think that the big take home message here, take EXTREME care opening the doors, park into any wind, and be careful not too push hard so that the door hinge is stressed.

Cheers

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Robin
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Re: Updated DA-40 AD for passenger door retaining bracket. 1

Post by Robin »

Hello

Canada are speaking to Austria now, another time delay.

Looks as if it might need a complete new rear door...

This 100 hourly is now into its fourth week...shame as it had plenty of work lined up during and after Easter.

Cheers


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Jean
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Re: Updated DA-40 AD for passenger door retaining bracket. 1

Post by Jean »

Robin wrote:Hello Rick

Thanks for the pics

My LAME - maintenance engineer has taken the paint off and has found deeper cracks. Most likely from gusts on the open rear door. I have been paranoid about this, as I was told about this when I picked up the aircraft. Obviously not paranoid enough...

Some pictures care of my LAME...

Hopefully will hear from Diamond tonight Aussie time, ie Monday day time Canada.

Will keep you posted.

Safe flying

From a grounded Robin :cry:
Hi Robin,
We also had this issue on our DA40. We had it fixed during 2009-10 winter. The aircraft was grounded for several weeks and the repair was quite expensive. The door had to be shipped to Wienerneustadt.
We paid 365 € for repair by Diamond, 484 € for shipping and 212 € for man work plus 21% VAT.
I find the idea of removing the paint an excellent one.
Hope your hinges get fixed rapidly!
Attachments
Same kind of cracks
Same kind of cracks
DA40_Hinge.jpg (134.77 KiB) Viewed 2488 times
40.446, G1000, KAP 140, Hartzell Metal
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