Report Released on CJ3 Event Over Gulf Involving Loss of Winglet

The NTSB found no fault with the Tamarack Active Winglet installation on the Cessna CitationJet.

Thursday, April 06, 2023 at 08:19 PM ET

Verified

The Atlas active winglet installation on the Citation CJ3 includes a wing extension, active camber surfaces, and control units. [Courtesy: Tamarack Aerospace]

Key Takeaways:

A Cessna Citation CJ3 sustained substantial damage to its left wing and aileron during a cruise descent over the Gulf of Mexico after the pilot reported feeling two "big jolts" and observing the left winglet had separated.
The pilot successfully performed an emergency landing at Tampa International Airport despite some "binding" of the ailerons on approach.
The NTSB's preliminary report suggests an "unknown impact" as a potential cause, finding no indication of failure in the recently installed Tamarack Atlas active winglet system.

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A Cessna Citation CJ3 en route from Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, to Page Field in Fort Myers, Florida, suffered an accident during a “cruise descent” from altitude over the Gulf of Mexico, in which a modification on the jet’s left wing and the left-hand aileron were damaged following what may have been an unknown impact.

In the preliminary report released on April 5 by the National Transportation Safety Board, the agency related the following.