Accident and incident chains usually follow a similar pattern when a number of innocent errors stack to create an event. Despite 4,400 hours of total flight time, nearly three quarters of which had been logged in Cessna Citation CJs, a US-registered aircraft N680KH nearly got away from its pilot during an April 2019 incident near Bournemouth, England. A follow-up investigation showed the pilot simply did not read a critical AFM supplement, despite a close call just a month before.
Tamarack Responds to AAIB Report About 2019 CJ1 Incident
Key Takeaways:
- A Cessna Citation CJ1 with aftermarket Tamarack active winglets experienced a severe uncommanded roll and descent due to an electrical system failure, nearly resulting in a fatal accident despite the pilot's extensive flight experience.
- The experienced pilot had not read a critical Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) supplement detailing emergency procedures for this specific winglet failure, which emphasized slowing the aircraft, and had also failed to report a similar incident a month prior.
- The investigation revealed a manufacturing defect (loose screw) in the winglet system and deficiencies in the AFM supplement's description of failure severity and initial certification testing, leading to emergency grounding directives for affected aircraft.
- The incident underscores the vital importance of pilots thoroughly understanding all aircraft systems and emergency procedures, diligently investigating initial system failures, and for owners to ensure comprehensive pre-buy inspections and compliance with all service bulletins.
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