Date: 201412
Local time of day: 1201-1800
Location: ZZZ.Airport, US
Light: Daylight
Aircraft: Citation X (C750)
Operator: Fractional
Operating under: Part 135
Mission: Passenger
Flight phase: Parked
Aircraft component: Exterior Pax/Crew Door
Component problem: Malfunctioning
Reporter organization: Fractional
Reporter function: Captain; Pilot Flying
Reporter qualification: Flight Crew Air Transport Pilot (ATP)
Human factors: Communication Breakdown; Time Pressure; Troubleshooting
Anomaly: Aircraft Equipment Problem Less Severe; Deviation / Discrepancy - Procedural Published Material / Policy
Detector: Person Flight Crew
When detected: Aircraft In Service At Gate
Result: General Flight Cancelled / Delayed; General Maintenance Action
Contributing factors: Aircraft; Procedure; Human Factors; Company Policy
Primary problem: Aircraft

Narrative: After shutdown with passengers on board in ZZZ; opening the Main cabin door was difficult. Once the passengers departed; we cycled the door numerous times with the ZZZ temporary (temp) Assistant Chief Pilot (ACP) on-board and showed him how the door was not operating properly: 1) Precatch was not working properly. 2) Cabin door EICAS message and cabin vent door EICAS message wouldn't extinguish every time the door was cycled. 3) Main cabin door handle was stiff and hard to operate. The temp ACP agreed maintenance was needed and initiated the call via his phone since we were unable to get through to maintenance. When I did get in touch with maintenance; they stated they needed the technician to come look at it before I initiated a Logbook write-up on it. Two techs came and assessed the issue and after nearly 20 door cycles; many of which did not function properly; I was told 'it's up to you if you want to continue'. I asked how many times the door was allowed to be operated with the issue before they felt a write-up would be warranted; but they did not respond. I sent a Logbook write-up in at that time. The pressure to have multiple maintenance techs assess what we considered wrong with the airplane; and then question whether the write-up should be accomplished; is unsafe in our operation. Pressure to continue operating an aircraft with inoperative items is seemingly at an all-time high and is unsafe. As PIC; it is my determination of the airworthiness of an aircraft and I will not be swayed to operate unsafely. Airline Transport Pilot. Flight cancellation.

Callback: Reporter stated that two flights earlier the CE-750 had overnighted at a airport with pouring rain and then stopped at a ski resort and onto another cold weather airport. He was on the ground for approximately 15 minutes when they had difficulty opening the Main Cabin Door (MCD). The door locking pins did not seem to properly engage and there was a binding feeling while moving the door handle; the Cabin door light would not go out. He does not know what the maintenance fix was; but suspects water/moisture entered the door operating mechanism.



Synopsis: A Captain reports about the difficulty opening the Main Cabin Door (MCD) on a Cessna CE-750 after the aircraft overnighted at an airport with heavy rain. The CE-750 then stopped at two cold weather airport where the door handle was stiff and hard to operate. Maintenance would not write-up door discrepancy. Pilot noted that pressure to continue operating an aircraft with inoperative items is at an all-time high.