Hinge mechanisms for a door of a fuselage of an aircraft, doors for a fuselage of an aircraft, aircraft that include the doors, and related methods

A door for a fuselage of an aircraft, the door comprising:

• a hinge mechanism that includes a body fitting configured to be fixedly attached to the fuselage;
• an outer door panel operatively attached to the hinge mechanism;
• and
• an inner door panel operatively attached to the hinge mechanism;
• wherein the hinge mechanism is configured to be selectively transitioned between:
• (i) a closed configuration in which the door seals a door opening of the fuselage and the outer door panel defines an outer door panel region of an external surface of the fuselage;
• and
• (ii) an open configuration in which the door permits access to an interior of the fuselage via the door opening and the outer door panel faces toward a corresponding region of the external surface of the fuselage;
• and
• wherein when the door is in the open configuration, the body fitting fully supports an entirety of the door relative to the fuselage;
• wherein the outer door panel includes a body opening and the hinge mechanism includes a hinge panel:
• wherein the hinge panel is configured to cover the body opening when the door is in the closed configuration;
• wherein the hinge panel is configured to permit a region of the hinge mechanism to extend within the door opening when the door is in the open configuration;
• wherein the hinge mechanism further includes:
• (i) an electric motor that includes a motor output shaft configured to selectively rotate responsive to supply of an electric current to the electric motor;
• and
• (ii) an electric motor torque arm assembly fixedly attached to the motor output shaft and pivotally attached to the hinge panel, wherein the electric motor torque arm assembly is configured to rotate the hinge panel relative to the body fitting and about a hinge-panel-to-body-fitting pivot responsive to rotation of the motor output shaft.