The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) on Friday confirmed that a passenger side door that came off a SA Air Force (SAAF) King Air aircraft on April 11 has been found a short distance north of Lanseria International Airport in Johannesburg.

“The door has been retrieved and taken to Air Force Base Waterkloof,” SANDF spokesperson Prince Tshabalala said in a statement. “Upon inspection of the area where the door was located and as confirmed by the farm owner, it was established that there was no damage to infrastructure nor was there any loss of life suffered on the farm. The investigation of the incident continues.”

DefenceWeb reported the twin-engined SAAF B200C King Air lost its fuselage panel fitted with a door on take-off from Lanseria.

The aircraft was on a maintenance flight. The team on board managed to fly it to AFB Waterkloof and landed safely after the incident.

Lanseria-based Execujet was awarded a contract for SAAF King Air maintenance, with Armscor in November last year stating the contract runs from December 2023 to late March 2026 and has a ceiling amount of R95m, DefenceWeb reported.

The King Air involved in the incident is registration 650.

According to Armscor, King Airs 650 and 652 underwent scheduled servicing but 650 experienced fuel cell leaks when delivered to the SAAF and new fuel cells were ordered. It received Blackhawk-upgraded Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-67A engines, producing 1,050 shp up to 25,000 feet, while the aircraft’s stock engines begin losing horsepower at 15,000 feet. Both aircraft received refurbished cabins.

The SAAF has four King Airs in its inventory, but may have to withdraw 650 from service if there is major damage to the fuselage.

Another King Air lost its door in February over Bloemfontein. A privately owned medical evacuation aircraft, ZS-LFW, had its door detach in flight while approaching Bram Fischer International Airport in Bloemfontein after a flight from Kimberley on February 8. No one on board — two pilots, a doctor and paramedic — was injured. The door was recovered from a parking area in Heidedal, a suburb of Bloemfontein, and returned to the operator.

Door incidents have affected other King Air operators around the world, DefenceWeb said:

• In June 2024 a King Air C90GTX had its cabin door open mid-flight while climbing out of London Biggin Hill Airport. The external door handle was apparently in the closed position before take-off. 
• In May 2023 a King Air 350 (N680CB) was cruising over Florida when the airstair door completely separated from the fuselage after a door handle anchor failed.
• In December 2022 a King Air 250 (T7-AIRX) was climbing out of Lahr Airport in Germany when its door opened mid-flight and nearly ripped off.

TimesLIVE and DefenceWeb