# Incident 20080506848359I: Airbus A319132, Detroit, MI, May 6, 2008

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: May 6, 2008, 06:41 local time
- Place: Detroit, MI
- Airport: Detroit Metropolitan Wayne Cou
- Damage: Substantial damage
- Phase of flight: To Init Climb(1st Pwr Reduct)
- Operating rules: Air carrier (Part 121)
- Operator: GTIA
- Location: 42.2138° N, 83.3538° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=42.2138&lon=-83.3538&mi=10
- Aircraft: N516NK, a cancelled registration (https://openairdocs.org/deregistered/N516NK-2025-03-27) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Airbus A319-132 (registry code 3940015, https://openairdocs.org/model/airbus-a319-132) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: IAE V2500SERIES (registry code 34601, https://openairdocs.org/engine/iae-v2500series) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: AIRBUS A319132
- Reported engine: IAE V2524A5
- People aboard: 135
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Pilot flight hours: 0 total, 0 in this make and model, 0 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20080506848359I

## Narrative

As the FAA filed it, in capitals; the FAA replaces private details with ^PRIVACY DATA OMITTED^.

(-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.

From the FAA Accident/Incident Data System. Reports are matched to registry aircraft 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. For accidents, the NTSB's own investigation is the fuller record.

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