A maintenance issue was found to be the cause
The Transportation Safety Board of Canada (TSB) has released an investigation report regarding the incident where a Chartright Air Inc. aircraft had lost control and conducted an emergency landing procedure in New York State, US in 2023.
According to the report, the Cessna 560 aircraft left the Toronto/Lester B. Pearson International Airport, Ontario bearing two flight crew and three passengers. Shortly after the plane had taken off, the cowl doors partially detached from the left-engine’s nacelle, causing an immediate loss of control and rapid descent.
The flight crew managed to regain control of the plane and declared an emergency before landing on the Buffalo Niagara International Airport, NY. While the plane was taxiing, a piece of the lower cowl door fell.
The TSB’s investigation found that the most recent maintenance work that was conducted on the plane had left six consecutive fasteners unsecured at the forward inboard edge of the lower cowl door. The location was not usually checked during pre-flight walkarounds and there were no specific guidelines provided to the flight crews, which was why the unsecured fasteners were left unnoticed even as inspections were made before the flight.
It was also found that the firm’s maintenance and flight operations personnel had no access regarding the newest information about the recently discovered hazards that come with engine cowl doors on the aircraft.
“If operators do not incorporate guidance issued by civil aviation authorities and aircraft manufacturers into their company manuals and procedures, there is a risk that personnel will not be aware of critical flight safety information,” the TSB said in their statement.
The incident led the firm to ground its Cessna 560 fleet and conduct an inspection on the engine cowl doors of each aircraft. This resulted to a series of internal safety actions such as a directive issued to maintenance staff, an update to the pre-flight inspection checklist regarding fastener verification, and added training on the secure installation and integrity check of the engine cowl doors.
The TSB serves as an independent agency responsible for the advancement of transportation safety in the country, which investigated air, marine, pipeline, and rail transportation accidents.
