A KLM Boeing 737-700, flying from Leeds to Amsterdam landed with the right-hand cargo door partially open.
On August 2nd, KLM flight #KL1542 departed from Leeds to Amsterdam. The Boeing 737-700 (reg. PH-BGT) is often used for this particular route.
The aircraft landed runway 18R at Amsterdam after a 50 minute-flight with the inward opening right-hand forward cargo door partially open.
"Dat is wel bizar, dat heb ik nog nooit gezien!" – Terwijl de hele wereld naar de Taiwan-vlucht van Nancy Pelosi keek, arriveerde de PH-BGT van @KLM met een open bagageluik pic.twitter.com/8ARqRK98CP
— Menno Swart (@MennoSwart) August 2, 2022
KLM later said an internal investigation showed the hatch opened over the North Sea due to a technical defect. They issued a statement saying “During flight KL1542 from Leeds to Amsterdam on 2 August, one of the cargo hatches was partially pressed in due to a technical defect. Passengers and crew were not in any danger. There was also no risk of cargo or bags falling out.”
But this kind of incident could end with a catastrophe. In 1974 a Turkish DC10 crashed when an incorrectly secured cargo door at the rear of the plane burst open and broke off, causing an explosive decompression that severed critical cables necessary to control the aircraft. 346 people were killed.
In the DC10 accident when the door blew off, the primary as well as both sets of backup control cables that ran beneath the section of floor that blew out were completely severed, destroying the pilots’ ability to control the plane’s elevators, rudder, and number two engine. The flight data recorder showed that the throttle for engine two snapped shut when the door failed.