Hi Steven,
Yours is not an uncommon problem. On the plus side, rain is water and doesn’t pose an immediate threat to the airframe. But airplanes shouldn’t leak. I believe the best door seals can be bought from Brown aircraft supply (www.brownaircraft.com) in Florida. It has been in business for a long time–a salesman there may know which seal works best for your PA 32R-301.
Many years ago, i worked on DC-3s and I seem to remember seeing a L-shaped part attached to the fuselage above the door to divert rain water off the top of the airplane away from the door opening.
In my opinion, a simple L shaped part of 2024-T3 aluminum riveted in position above the door opening would do a lot to solve this problem. It won’t have to be big; perhaps an eighth inch for the flange and an eighth inch for the “dam” part. If I were doing it I’d slant it slightly with the forward end being 5 degrees higher than the aft end. The fabrication and installation of this rain gutter would not need any FAA approval–in my mind this constitutes a minor alteration.
Of course, this option depends on how your mechanic sees it. He may not be comfortable with this idea.
Please let me know if you find a viable solution.
Steve
