Door falls off plane flying into SLO airport
A door fell off a small plane flying into San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport on Wednesday, dropping debris on a neighborhood near Bishop Peak.
During a flight Wednesday, a de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter plane “experienced a loss of debris,” Airport Deputy Director of Planning and Outreach Courtney Pene told The Tribune on Monday.
Pene said the debris ”was identified as a door from the private aircraft.”
“It’s believed this happened in the area of Bishop Peak as the aircraft was on its way to the airport,” Pene said.
A Twin Otter is a short take-off and landing (STOL) commuter plane that is popularly used for skydiving operations.
After the door fell off, the plane then landed safely with no further reported damage to the aircraft and no reported injuries.
According to an incident report on Aviation Safety Network, users said that while the plane was approaching the airport runway, “the door detached and hit the tail” of the aircraft.
Nextdoor users who witnessed the incident said “mostly aluminum frames and plastic” debris fell in the area of Highland Drive, hitting nearby homes and the road.
San Luis Obispo Police Department public affairs manager Christine Wallace said the department did receive a report on Wednesday regarding falling debris, but the response was handled by the airport.
