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20080506848359I

Incident · Substantial damage
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FAA incident report · Airbus A319-132 · Detroit, MI · May 6, 2008

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

© OpenStreetMap
Date
May 6, 2008 · 06:41 local
Place
Detroit, MI
Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne Cou
Phase of flight
To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
GTIA
Damage
Substantial damage
Aircraft
N516NK
Reported as
Airbus A319132
Reported engine
IAE V2524A5
People aboard
135
Fatal injuries
0
Pilot’s flight hours
0 total0 in this make and model0 in the last 90 days
N516NKRegistration cancelled Mar 27, 2025 · Airbus A319-132S/N 2704 · Built 2006Airframe modelAirbus A319-132Engine modelIAE V2500SERIESTurbo-jet

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) Spirit flight 417 conducted a normal takeoff from runway 22L at dtw. Following lift off and while turning to the tower assigned heading, the crew was advised by the tower controller that they had lost an engine panel. The crew received no warnings in the cockpit and the engine performed normally. The flight crew assessed the situation and received notification from the cabin by a deadheading flight crewmember that the left engine outboard engine cowling was missing. An emergency landing was declared by the tower controller to provide the flight priority handling and the flight returned to dtw and landed uneventfully. All of the major pieces of the cowling were recovered from the runway by the dtw fire and rescue unit and returned to the spirit airlines maintenance hangar where the aircraft was located when the FAA inspectors (who had been notified of the occurrence) arrived at the scene. An investigation is being conducted by dtw-fsdo inspectors to determine the cause as to why the engine cowling departed the aircraft after liftoff.

As the FAA filed it

(-23) SPIRIT FLIGHT 417 CONDUCTED A NORMAL TAKEOFF FROM RUNWAY 22L AT DTW. FOLLOWING LIFT OFF AND WHILE TURNING TO THE TOWER ASSIGNED HEADING, THE CREW WAS ADVISED BY THE TOWER CONTROLLER THAT THEY HAD LOST AN ENGINE PANEL. THE CREW RECEIVED NO WARNINGS IN THE COCKPIT AND THE ENGINE PERFORMED NORMALLY. THE FLIGHT CREW ASSESSED THE SITUATION AND RECEIVED NOTIFICATION FROM THE CABIN BY A DEADHEADING FLIGHT CREWMEMBER THAT THE LEFT ENGINE OUTBOARD ENGINE COWLING WAS MISSING. AN EMERGENCY LANDING WAS DECLARED BY THE TOWER CONTROLLER TO PROVIDE THE FLIGHT PRIORITY HANDLING AND THE FLIGHT RETURNED TO DTW AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. ALL OF THE MAJOR PIECES OF THE COWLING WERE RECOVERED FROM THE RUNWAY BY THE DTW FIRE AND RESCUE UNIT AND RETURNED TO THE SPIRIT AIRLINES MAINTENANCE HANGAR WHERE THE AIRCRAFT WAS LOCATED WHEN THE FAA INSPECTORS (WHO HAD BEEN NOTIFIED OF THE OCCURRENCE) ARRIVED AT THE SCENE. AN INVESTIGATION IS BEING CONDUCTED BY DTW-FSDO INSPECTORS TO DETERMINE THE CAUSE AS TO WHY THE ENGINE COWLING DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT AFTER LIFTOFF.