The aft equipment bay door is located on the bottom of the rear fuselage between FS877.25 and FS925.00. The door is hinged at the forward edge and opens down and forward on two hinge pins. The latch mechanism of the door holds the door in the closed position. An outer handle operates the latch mechanism. There is no internal handle. The door gives access to the aft equipment compartment.

The door is made from an aluminum alloy skin, made stronger with ´Z´ members and channels. An aluminum alloy inner skin seals the structure. The door is attached to the fuselage at two hinge points by quick release pins.

The aft equipment bay door has a single proximity sensor on the door frame to provide warning when the door is open. A caution message LARGE SERV DOORS will be displayed on the EICAS primary page.

There is a latch which has a center housing and contains the operating handle. The latch connects to a shaft through a spring-loaded device. This shaft has two roller arms at each end. The rollers engage with two fittings on the adjacent structure when the door is closed.

To open the aft equipment compartment door, you must first press the trigger plate of the latch which is flush with the door skin. This releases the handle which you pull down to open the door. To close the door, you lift it to the closed position and push the handle up until it is flush with the skin.

The latch is sensitive to pressure changes in the aft equipment compartment. It will release and open the door if the pressure increases above a preset level.

The seals are made from silicone rubber. They are installed on the aircraft structure adjacent to the door and are held in place with retainers.