Bombardier CL-600-2B19 N933CA

Summary

On 3 January 2001 at about 13:32 local time, a Bombardier CL-600-2B19 registered N933CA, operated by Comair Inc, was involved in an incident near Covington, Kentucky, United States. 46 people were on board and nobody was injured. The aircraft was slightly damaged. The NTSB has published a probable cause for this accident; it is quoted in full below.

Date

3 January 2001 at 13:32

Classification

Incident

Location

Covington, Kentucky, United States

Coordinates

39.0804, -84.5008

Aircraft

Bombardier CL-600-2B19

Registration

N933CA

Category

Airplane

Engines

2

Operator

Comair Inc

Operating rule

Part 121: Air Carrier

Phase of flight

Not recorded

Route

Minneapolis → Covington

Aircraft damage

Minor

Weather

VMC

Light

Day

NTSB number

NYC01IA072

Nobody was injured.

Missing exhaust nozzle bolts for undetermined reasons. A factor was inadequate maintenance inspection of the affected area.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record. This site does not paraphrase or interpret it.

Read the full NTSB narrative

During climbout, an airframe vibration developed. All gauges, readouts, synoptic pages, and airplane controls were normal. The crew contacted their maintenance base and attempted to troubleshoot the problem, but could not determine its cause. The vibration remained unchanged until the airplane leveled off at 7,000 feet during an approach. At that time, the crew felt a bump, then the vibration completely ceased. The airplane landed, and taxied to the gate without further incident. Post-flight inspection revealed that the number 1 exhaust fairing was missing, and that the left, aft fuselage had a dent. The 30 bolts that would have normally attached the exhaust nozzle assembly to the exhaust frame were all missing, "without a trace." Seven months earlier, the tailpipe was found loose. Ten bolts were replaced, and the rest were re-torqued. The last inspection on the airplane had been completed about 2 weeks earlier, 105 hours prior to the incident. Company personnel had previously found cracked bolts on exhaust flanges from other engines. Laboratory examination of used bolts from another engine revealed no anomalies. Engine shop buildup and shop exit manuals were subsequently revised to make the installation and torquing of exhaust nozzle bolts a required inspection item.

Quoted verbatim from the NTSB record.