Door lock problem

[PauloSerra]

I have a CT-U (made in Brazil) 2002 and I have a problem locking the left cabin door. It seems the door does not fit anymore in the frame (see pictures), as the gap is not uniform across the door (it is larger in the front, tight at the rear and bottom). Does anyone have a suggestion to fix it?

[FlyingMonkey]

Seems like nit picking to me.  Not sure if I've ever seen a CT where the gap was equal over the *entire* door.  There seem to be three fixes:

 

1) Hard : Remove the hinges and reset them to better align the door.

 

2) Easier:  use some shims to adjust how the door sits in the fuselage.

 

3) Easiest:  Ignore it as a cosmetic issue, shake off the OCD, and keep flying!

 

BTW, I like the external door handles...kinda wish we had something like that in the US version.

[Runtoeat]

PauloSera, wondering if you are the original owner and are seeing the door gaps have changed over time or if you bought used and have inherited this problem?  Looking at the picture where the top/bottom engine cowls are shown. The fit of these to the fuselage looks different than other CT's. The fuselage surface between the front of the door and the cowl joints looks like it is sunken and doesn't match the cowls.  I may be out in left field but I'm wondering if this area was repaired and if the large door gap may be the result of this?  If the firewall took a hard blow from hard landing on the front gear perhaps this damaged the fuselage in front of the door which pushed the door rearward, resulting in the lack of gap at the top and rear?  I have not heard of any of the older CT's having this concern but perhaps those with more experience with the older planes may have.

[PauloSerra]

Thanks for the suggestions.

I have thought of using shims or trying to align the hinges but it does not seem feasible as this would move the door only vertically and I have no gap in the back (either on the upper or bottom side). May be moving it a bit to the front, but I would need to drill new holes in the fuselage for the screws, very close to the current drilling... I am treating it as a "mostly cosmetic" issue, but I have the impression it is getting harder to lock from the interior (the handles are not good to pull the door). For the moment it is annoying but I expect it will not get worse...

I am not the original owner but I know the story of the plane from the start (I am the third owner). The apparent misalignment between the engine cowls and the side of the fuselage is due to bending of the cowling when I have tightened the screws, the fuselage has not been repaired.

I do not know how are the door handles in the US version but these ones are quite OK. I would expect that the inner handle would be better (it is most likely the external) as it is bit small for you to hold and pull the door at the same time while you turn it, and I would prefer something not round to give a better visual feedback if the door is locked or not (like a lever that becomes vertical or horizontal when the door is locked or not).

I would like to see the handles of the American version if someone could share a picture.

[Roger Lee]

This is not that uncommon. I have fixed a few of them. Mine was the first about 1 year after I got it. I think what happens is the fuselage settles. This causes the door opening up front to get wider and the one on the back of the door to actually start rubbing on the frame. The front door opening gets so wide you can see daylight through the door while flying and it lets all the cold winter air in. It isn't a hard fix. You need to remove the door, but first put some pencil marks where the hinges are on the front and back sides of each hinge on the door frame. Take the door and hinges off together. Hold the door back in place and center the door where you want it. Usually more forward to close the front gap and open the back one slightly. Mark the new hinge location. Remove the door and now drill some new hinge screw holes. There is a metal plate up in this area so drilling isn't an issue. If you want to seal the old holes up with JB Weld go for it. I would run a tap into the new screw holes. Now just remount the door. This will now help you to have a better sealed cabin. This mod really doesn't take much time to do. This also made my door handle closer the easiest one I have ever seen on a CT. It's as smooth as glass.

[PauloSerra]

Thanks, Roger, it is somehow reassuring to hear that mine is not the only case. I was wondering that this may be caused by distortion on the frame caused by the stress of the wing (with fuel) weight while the aircraft is parked (which is most of the time). My impression is that the two pieces besides the windshield may have bent a bit due to the stress, making the door opening a bit wider horizontally and shorter vertically (it might be easier to explain if English were my mother language...). It is true that wondering about the cause does not help finding a solution.

Moving the door a bit forward seems to be doable and should solve the problem.

[PauloSerra]

Hi, Roger

I think I had a better idea: I will make the drilling in the fringe and not in the frame. I can even extend the hole in the fringe, allowing for some adjustment in the door position before tightening the screws. What do you think?

[PauloSerra]

In the hinge, not fringe.

[Roger Lee]

Don't drill any hinge. Just move the hinge forward and drill the door jam area about 1/8" forward of where the holes are now. This area where the hinges are has metal embedded in the frame. I would then tap the new screw holes. This is a fairly easy job. No need to make it more difficult.

[2FlyAgain]

I was told by a Flight Design dealer that the carbon fiber in the airframe actually takes five years or more to settle into its final shape.  He said that to explain his recommendation to always completely shut the doors at the end of the day.  That way the door and the frame are moving together during the subtle settling over the years.  

[FlyingMonkey]

I was told by a Flight Design dealer that the carbon fiber in the airframe actually takes five years or more to settle into its final shape.  He said that to explain his recommendation to always completely shut the doors at the end of the day.  That way the door and the frame are moving together during the subtle settling over the years.  

 

Good info, thanks!  I usually shut my doors but don't latch them, maybe I will start latching them too.

[Roger Lee]

It still settles. There is no way around it. Since I did mine it has never changed.

[PauloSerra]

Hi,

I have decided to drill the hinges instead of the frame. It is true that it is harder to drill the hinges than the frame but I believe it was a good choice.

I have purchased new hinges and made the holes in each part of the hinge displaced by ~3mm. The results are very good, the door is much better positioned and closes easily.

[Runtoeat]

The margins look good.  I'm assuming the new hinges come blank, with no holes?

[PauloSerra]

I could not find hinges with no holes, but I was lucky enough to buy some where the spacing between the first and last holes were 3 mm smaller from the ones on the CT, so that I could use the right hole on one side and the left hole on the other. The other two holes were extended to the side. The result was that I had one hole on each part to serve as guide.

For information, the hinges are stainless steel and costs around 40 cents a piece. In case I made a mistake, the loss would be minor and I could always keep the things as before.

[Lsapilot]

Having a new problem with locking one of my doors on my 2008 CTLS.  The metal lock tab no longer inserts into the opening in the door frame. I close the door all the way using the latch inside the cockpit and even push on the door and still it won't slide into the opening in the frame.  Any thoughts?

[CT4ME]

There have been a few instances of the linkages in the door coming apart.  With the door open and handle closed, does the pointed pin(s) come out?

[FredG]

Not sure what your door problem is.  As CT4ME noted, there are instances of the linkage that moves the sliding pin in the door into the hole in the fuselage fails.  I wrote about this on the forum a few years ago.  

 

http://ctflier.com/index.php?/topic/3067-door-latch-mechanism-failure-and-repair/?hl=door

 

My plane is a 2006 CTsw.

 

fg

[Anticept]

The linkages should be part of the inspections. I've fixed a couple that have almost come apart as well. I'm not too happy with the design choice of the linkages (clevis pins held by cotter pins), but they work.

[FredG]

Corey - yes, it is a bit ad-hoc.

[Lsapilot]

Sorry i didn't explain this properly. My question is about the key lock not the pins and insert into the frame.

[Roger Lee]

All you can really do is try some lube and run the key in and out a few times.If that doesn't help then the internal mechanism is probably messed up. You may be able to get a used one from Tom Guttman oat Airtime Aviation.

[Anticept]

On that, don't use anything more than a light oil, or much more preferrably, a dry silicon lubricant.

 

A heavier oil will trap and hold dirt. A light oil can at least flush it out.

[Tom Baker]

The door seals compress over time. Maybe the door is closing to far and the lever is hitting on the back side of the slot. I remember a airplane on the FD booth at Oshkosh that was like this. Try locking with the door unlatched, and maybe even pull out on the door a little. Also make sure the lock will turn OK with the door open.

[Lsapilot]

I did try locking the door unlatched, but no joy there.  the locking mechanism works freely when door is open, so no lubricant is needed. it's just when the tab drops down as I turn the key, it doesn't fit into the slot in the frame.  The locking tab in the door is not aligned properly with the slot in the frame.  I've tried pulling and pushing on the door as I attempt to lock it, but no help there.