Bombardier, Inc. CL-600-2B19 incident near West Grove, Pennsylvania, October 17, 2005
On October 17, 2005 at about 4:25 am local time, a Bombardier, Inc. CL-600-2B19, registered N244PS, suffered minor damage in an incident near West Grove, Pennsylvania. It was flown under scheduled airline rules (Part 121). No one was hurt; 51 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The separation of the left engine exhaust nozzle during cruise climb due to inadequately designed attachment hardware.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 5, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- October 17, 2005 · about 4:25 am local time
- Place
- West Grove, Pennsylvania · map
- Type
- Incident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 51 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Bombardier, Inc. CL-600-2B19
- Registration
- N244PS · no longer on the register · serial 7912
- Damage
- Minor damage
- Flight
- Flight · scheduled airline rules (Part 121)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The left engine exhaust nozzle and fairing departed the airplane during cruise climb. The flight crew reported hearing a "small thud" while climbing through 15,000 feet msl. The flight crew stated that they monitored the aircraft engines and no anomalies were noted. The flight crew attributed the event to possible wake turbulence and elected to continue to their scheduled destination. During a post-flight inspection the flight crew noticed the left engine exhaust nozzle and fairing were missing. The left engine exhaust nozzle was found about 26.5 nm west-southwest of the departure airport. The nozzle was examined and its attachment hardware was missing. The bolt holes used to install the exhaust nozzle to the engine were elongated and had evidence of fretting. The exhaust nozzle manufacturer issued Service Bulletin CF34-NAC-78-024 on January 24, 2003, to address "exhaust nozzle bolt attachment failures." The service bulletin called for the removal of the existing hardware and replacement with "new, improved hardware." This maintenance was to be completed at the "operator's earliest convenience or within a maximum of 4,000 hours." At the time of the incident, the airplane had accumulated 3,440 hours since new. The service bulletin had not been complied with, according to the maintenance records. The operator immediately inspected their entire fleet of Bombardier CL-600-2B19 regional jets and found three additional aircraft with either missing or loose attachment exhaust nozzle hardware. The operator ordered replacement kits for the entire fleet and will comply with Service Bulletin CF34-NAC-78-024 upon delivery of the replacement parts.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; single-engine land; instructor: airplane multi-engine; instructor: airplane single-engine; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 1,222 in this make and model
- Last flight review: June 1, 2005
- Medical certificate: Class 1 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: left
- Injury: no injuries
Co-pilot
- Certificate: airline transport pilot
- Ratings: multi-engine land; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 534 in this make and model
- Medical certificate: Class 2 (without waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rgt
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Airframe total time: 3,440 hours
- Last inspection: continuous airworthiness programme
- Maximum gross weight: 53,000 lb
- Seats: 53
- Landing gear: retractable
- Engine: General Electric C-34-3B1 (turbojet); 0 hours total
- Operator: Psa Airlines, Inc.
The flight
- Departed from: PHL Philadelphia PA at 4:04 am
- Destination: DAY Dayton OH
- Flight plan: IFR
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: night
- Wind: from 290° at 11 knots
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 55°F (13°C), dew point 41°F (5°C)
- Altimeter: 29.77 inHg
- Observation at 4:54 am from PHL, 25 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 3 | |||
| Passengers | 48 |
Documents from the investigation the NTSB's docket: the evidence folder behind the report
The docket, the folder of records gathered during an investigation (maintenance records, photographs, witness statements, examinations), has not been read from the NTSB for this case yet; the list appears here once it has. Open the docket at the NTSB.
Everything on this page comes from the NTSB's public records. The narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words; the coded tables behind the report are written out in plain English, with pilots' ages, home towns and medical details left out. The documents and photographs are the NTSB's docket, shown as the NTSB released them. This site's own text never names anyone involved. A preliminary report can change; the final report usually follows one to two years later, and the page is refreshed when it does.