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20250803010789I

Incident · No damage
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FAA incident report · Bombardier CL-600-2C11 · Traverse City, MI · August 3, 2025

FAA Aviation Safety Information Portal

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Date
August 3, 2025 · 18:11 local
Place
Traverse City, MI
Airport
Cherry Capital
Phase of flight
Takeoff: Climb Out
Operating rules
Air carrier (Part 121)
Operator
N6WA
Damage
No damage
Aircraft
N506GJ
Reported as
Bombardier CL-600-2C11
People aboard
3
Fatal injuries
0
Other injuries
0
Pilot’s certificate
Airline transport
Pilot’s flight hours
4,933 total
N506GJRegistered now · Bombardier CL-600-2C11S/N 10041Airframe modelBombardier CL-600-2C11Engine modelGE CF34-8C5B1Turbo-fan

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.

On August 3, 2025, the captain experienced the auto pilot not able to maintain the altitude after take-off. The captain disconnected the auto pilot and maintained the assigned altitude. Once receiving clearance from ATC to go higher, the captain turned the auto pilot back on and leveled out at the selected altitude. The aircraft was unable to hold the selected altitude as it oscillated between 1000 ft in either direction. The captain disconnected the auto pilot and completed the flight with the auto pilot off. Upon touchdown, the captain was unable to pull back on the yoke to keep the pressure off the nose gear for a soft touchdown. The captain did not declare an emergency. During taxi, the captain was not able to pull back on the yoke more than an inch. Maintenance inspected the aircraft and found an elevator auto pilot servo cable broken. Maintenance removed the elevator auto pilot cable circuit and deferred the auto pilot system for three (3) days. The certificate holder received a reference instruction letter (ril), from the aircraft manufacturer, allowing the aircraft to operate in revenue service with the cables removed and deferred. The aircraft was released into revenue service. Prior to the drop-dead date of the deferral, maintenance replaced the elevator auto pilot cable circuit, which includes three (3) cables, the servo and servo mount. Performed operational checks and aircraft was released into revenue service.

As the FAA filed it

ON AUGUST 3, 2025, THE CAPTAIN EXPERIENCED THE AUTO PILOT NOT ABLE TO MAINTAIN THE ALTITUDE AFTER TAKE-OFF. THE CAPTAIN DISCONNECTED THE AUTO PILOT AND MAINTAINED THE ASSIGNED ALTITUDE. ONCE RECEIVING CLEARANCE FROM ATC TO GO HIGHER, THE CAPTAIN TURNED THE AUTO PILOT BACK ON AND LEVELED OUT AT THE SELECTED ALTITUDE. THE AIRCRAFT WAS UNABLE TO HOLD THE SELECTED ALTITUDE AS IT OSCILLATED BETWEEN 1000 FT IN EITHER DIRECTION. THE CAPTAIN DISCONNECTED THE AUTO PILOT AND COMPLETED THE FLIGHT WITH THE AUTO PILOT OFF. UPON TOUCHDOWN, THE CAPTAIN WAS UNABLE TO PULL BACK ON THE YOKE TO KEEP THE PRESSURE OFF THE NOSE GEAR FOR A SOFT TOUCHDOWN. THE CAPTAIN DID NOT DECLARE AN EMERGENCY. DURING TAXI, THE CAPTAIN WAS NOT ABLE TO PULL BACK ON THE YOKE MORE THAN AN INCH. MAINTENANCE INSPECTED THE AIRCRAFT AND FOUND AN ELEVATOR AUTO PILOT SERVO CABLE BROKEN. MAINTENANCE REMOVED THE ELEVATOR AUTO PILOT CABLE CIRCUIT AND DEFERRED THE AUTO PILOT SYSTEM FOR THREE (3) DAYS. THE CERTIFICATE HOLDER RECEIVED A REFERENCE INSTRUCTION LETTER (RIL), FROM THE AIRCRAFT MANUFACTURER, ALLOWING THE AIRCRAFT TO OPERATE IN REVENUE SERVICE WITH THE CABLES REMOVED AND DEFERRED. THE AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED INTO REVENUE SERVICE. PRIOR TO THE DROP-DEAD DATE OF THE DEFERRAL, MAINTENANCE REPLACED THE ELEVATOR AUTO PILOT CABLE CIRCUIT, WHICH INCLUDES THREE (3) CABLES, THE SERVO AND SERVO MOUNT. PERFORMED OPERATIONAL CHECKS AND AIRCRAFT WAS RELEASED INTO REVENUE SERVICE.