On August 21st, an Aerosucre Boeing 737-230F was headng to Bogotá from Mitú. However, the Colombian carrier’s freighter had to land back at its departing airport due to its main cargo door opening.
A domestic operation
According to the Aviation Safety Network, the 737-200 returned Mitú-Fabio Alberto León Bentley Airport after the main cargo door as it was taking off. There are no injuries reported, and the extent of the damage is yet to be determined. However, a video that was taken locally clearly shows the door flapping open when touching down on the runway.
An Aerosucre Boeing 737-200F turned back to Mitú Airport, Colombia, after the main cargo door opened on departure:https://t.co/0n5qDdExVF https://t.co/XZzeyiScay
— Aviation Safety Network (ASN) (@AviationSafety) August 22, 2021
According to ch-aviation, HK-5026, the 737-220F involved in this week’s incident, is 40 years old. Over the last four decades, it has flown with Lufthansa, ModiLuft, Vanguard Airlines, LATAM, and SKY Airline. AeroSucre took on the unit in May 2014. The aircraft has an MTOW of 54,204 kg / 119,499 lb and is backed by two Pratt & Whitney JT8D-15 engines.
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Previous incidents
This event yesterday isn’t the only recent incident involving HK-5026. Colombia’s aviation authorities shared that on May 8th, one of the cargo aircraft that was covering the Bogota – Mitu route had issues with its nose gear, causing it to abort its takeoff. This issue forced the southern runway of El Dorado to close temporarily as the plane remained there.
There have been other serious concerns across the company. In a fatal incident, an Aerosucre Boeing 727-200 crashed on December 20th, 2016, killing five people on board the aircraft. Registration HK-4544 overran the runway at Germán Olano Airport, Puerto Carreño, which was heading to Bogotá.
The airline was founded in Barranquilla in 1969 and is now headquartered in Bogotá. It also has focus cities in Cali, Lima, Oranjestad, Rionegro, San Andrés, San José, and Yopal. Since the pandemic, the carrier has been ramping up the transportation of crucial medical supplies amid the tough conditions of the global health crisis. The company uses its three 727-200Fs, along with its 737-200C and 737-200F units on its cargo operations.
Cargo concerns
Aeroscure isn’t the only cargo outfit to have issues with its doors during its services in 2021. In May, a DHL Boeing 757-200 freighter had its door open mid-flight. The plane was flying between Leipzig/Halle Airport and Frankfurt am Main Airport when the incident happened.
Altogether, these cargo carriers will be keen to address further incidents such as this from happening. The consequences of such situations could be significant.
What are your thoughts about what happened at Colombia’s Mitú-Fabio Alberto León Bentley Airport this weekend? Have you seen anything similar happen with aircraft doors over the years? Let us know what you think of the overall incident in the comment section.