20010620021769I

Incident · Minor damage

FAA incident report · Cessna 560XL · Charlottesville, VA · June 20, 2001

Date: June 20, 2001 · 07:30 local
Place: Charlottesville, VA
Airport: Charlottesville-Albemarle
Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
Operator: NOZA
Damage: Minor damage
Aircraft: N24NG
Reported as: Cessna 560XL
People aboard: 7
Fatal injuries: 0
Pilot’s flight hours: 4,100 total

From the FAA’s Accident/Incident Data System (AIDS), through its Aviation Safety Information Portal, as reported. The NTSB investigates accidents separately, and its record of an accident is the fuller one. The aircraft is matched to the registry by N-number and event date, checked against the reported make and model; the registry’s history has gaps, so older matches can be wrong. Compare the reported make and model.

What happened

The FAA’s narrative, in sentence case. The FAA writes it in capitals and removes private details.

(-23) Immmediately after rotation, the crew heard and felt a noise (clunk), which was followed by a very mild vibration. The crew chose to continue to their destination, which was 20 minutes away. During the approach, when selecting 15 deg. Flaps, another sound (clunk) was heard and felt, followed by the cessation of the mild buffet. The landing was uneventful, but the post flight inspection revealed missing upper and lower cowling halves on the left engine, and impact damage to the lower surface of the left horizontal stabilizer. An inspection of a recovered piece of cowling from the bwi departure runway indicated that the cowling had failed due to delamination. Investigations by the bwi FSDO and the Cessna aircraft company continue in an attempt to determine the true cause of the cowling separation.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) IMMMEDIATELY AFTER ROTATION, THE CREW HEARD AND FELT A NOISE (CLUNK), WHICH WAS FOLLOWED BY A VERY MILD VIBRATION. THE CREW CHOSE TO CONTINUE TO THEIR DESTINATION, WHICH WAS 20 MINUTES AWAY. DURING THE APPROACH, WHEN SELECTING 15 DEG. FLAPS, ANOTHER SOUND (CLUNK) WAS HEARD AND FELT, FOLLOWED BY THE CESSATION OF THE MILD BUFFET. THE LANDING WAS UNEVENTFUL, BUT THE POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED MISSING UPPER AND LOWER COWLING HALVES ON THE LEFT ENGINE, AND IMPACT DAMAGE TO THE LOWER SURFACE OF THE LEFT HORIZONTAL STABILIZER. AN INSPECTION OF A RECOVERED PIECE OF COWLING FROM THE BWI DEPARTURE RUNWAY INDICATED THAT THE COWLING HAD FAILED DUE TO DELAMINATION. INVESTIGATIONS BY THE BWI FSDO AND THE CESSNA AIRCRAFT COMPANY CONTINUE IN AN ATTEMPT TO DETERMINE THE TRUE CAUSE OF THE COWLING SEPARATION.