# Incident 20160925019609I: Dassault Aviation FALCON 2000, Plymouth, MA, September 25, 2016

- Type: FAA incident report (Accident/Incident Data System), as reported
- Date: September 25, 2016, 16:10 local time
- Place: Plymouth, MA
- Airport: Plymouth Municipal Airport
- Damage: Minor damage
- Phase of flight: Takeoff: Climb Out
- Operating rules: General operating rules (Part 91)
- Operator: ZKFA
- Location: 41.9088° N, 70.7276° W: Placed by OpenAirDocs at PLYMOUTH MUNI (PYM), within about a mile (OpenAirDocs)
- Nearby events: https://openairdocs.org/map.md?lat=41.9088&lon=-70.7276&mi=10
- Aircraft: N48MF, registered now (https://openairdocs.org/aircraft/N48MF) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry model: Dassault FALCON 2000 (registry code 2730170, https://openairdocs.org/model/dassault-falcon-2000) (OpenAirDocs)
- Registry engine: C F E CFE-738-1-1B (registry code 16800, https://openairdocs.org/engine/c-f-e-cfe-738-1-1b) (OpenAirDocs)
- Reported make and model: DASSAULT AVIATION FALCON 2000
- Reported engine: C F E CO CFE 738-1-1B
- People aboard: 2
- Fatal injuries: 0
- Other injuries: 0
- Pilot certificates: Airline transport
- Pilot flight hours: 9,161 total, 854 in this make and model, 98 in the last 90 days
- FAA source: FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal (https://asip.faa.gov/)
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/incident/20160925019609I

## Narrative

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

ACCESS PANEL 170AB, A LOWER HINGED ACCESS PANEL, DEPARTED THE AIRCRAFT AS IT CLIMBED THROUGH 10,000 FEET.  MAINTENANCE ACCESS PANEL 170AB HAD PREVIOUSLY BEEN OPENED TO PERFORM AN OCIP BLOCK 5 INSPECTION.  UPON COMPLETION OF THE INSPECTION, OPERATIONAL CHECKS WERE COMPLETED IN ACCORDANCE WITH MANUFACTURERS INSTRUCTIONS; HOWEVER, THE PANEL WAS ONLY SECURED BY THE TECHNICIAN  WITH  2 OF 30, DZUS 1/4 FASTENERS.

PRIOR TO COMPLETION OF THE OPERATIONAL CHECKS THE AIRCRAFT HAD TO BE REPOSITIONED, SO THE PANEL WAS ONLY SECURED WITH TWO OF THE FASTENERS AND THE TECHNICIAN DID NOT RETURN TO COMPLETE THE INSTALLATION OF THE REMAINING FASTENERS ONCE THE OPERATIONAL CHECKS WERE COMPLETED.

THE FINAL RETURN TO SERVICE STATEMENT WAS MADE ON THE MAINTENANCE TRANSACTION REPORT FOLLOWING THE OPERATIONAL CHECKS BY THE REPAIR STATION INSPECTOR.  THE UNSECURED PANEL FASTENERS WERE NOT NOTICED DURING THIS FINAL INSPECTION AND RETURN TO SERVICE.

THE AIRCRAFT WAS THEN DISPATCHED TWO DAYS LATER ON A FLIGHT TO RETRIEVE PASSENGERS.  DURING THE CLIMBOUT THE PILOTS REPORTED AN AIRFRAME VIBRATION AND THEN HEARD THE PANEL SEPARATE FROM THE AIRCRAFT.  THE AIRCRAFT RETURNED TO PYM.  THE PANEL WAS NOT LOCATED.  LOCAL POLICE AND AIRPORT AUTHORITIES WERE NOTIFIED.

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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