What happened
On August 26, 2014, a Bombardier DHC-8-400 operated by Eurolot SA was performing a flight at a cruising altitude of FL190. During the flight, a flight attendant noticed that the flap protecting the power panel on the right engine cowling was open. Upon receiving this information, the captain notified technical services. To ensure safety, the crew maintained a flight speed not exceeding 240 knots for the remainder of the flight.
The investigation
The PKBWL investigation focused on determining how the engine cowling flap became unsecured during flight. The investigation examined the maintenance and pre-flight procedures performed prior to the flight to identify any lapses in inspection or servicing.
Findings
The investigation established that the most probable cause of the incident was the inaccurate closing of the flap during pre-flight servicing, which subsequently went undetected by the crew during the pre-flight inspection.