FAA Probes: Door Detaches From Small Plane Upon Departure from Buffalo Airport

A pilot was forced to make an emergency landing after reporting a door separation while in flight over Stiglmeier Park, Losson Road in Cheektowaga. The incident occurred on Monday evening, leaving Cheektowaga Police scrambling to locate the missing door. The small plane, carrying the pilot and a passenger, had just taken off from Buffalo Niagara International Airport when it lost its rear left side door.

Authorities received a call around 6 PM alerting them to the incident. According to public flight data, the single-engine aircraft had only been in the air for several minutes before the emergency occurred. The pilot promptly contacted air traffic control, announcing, “We have an emergency, we’re heading back. We lost our rear door.”

As a precautionary measure, BNIA emergency responders were dispatched along the runway. Fortunately, the plane landed safely near the Signature Aviation terminal. Signature Aviation has confirmed that the aircraft departed and returned to their terminal area on Monday evening. Despite the successful landing, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has launched an investigation to determine the cause of the door separation and assess any potential safety issues.

The plane involved in the incident is a Diamond Aircraft DA-40 model, a four-seater aircraft constructed from composite materials. It features a hatch or door situated on the left side of the fuselage behind the cockpit. While the aircraft has a ceiling of over 16,000 feet, it was flying at a lower altitude at the time of the incident, having recently taken off from the airport.

Interestingly, Channel 2 news channel possesses video footage of the aircraft, displaying its registration number as N568CA. Ironically, this footage was used as a backdrop for a story last June, in which a flight instructor from On Core Aviation discussed small plane safety following a series of crashes. The plane’s registration is linked to an address at the Rochester Airport, where On Core also operates. The owner is listed as a holding company associated with a resident of Hamburg.

Fortunately, no injuries or property damage were reported as a result of the incident. However, the Cheektowaga Police are urging anyone with information about the whereabouts of the missing door to contact them at (716)-686-3500. The investigation into the incident by the FAA is ongoing, as they strive to determine the cause of the door separation and identify any potential safety concerns.