Occurrence
On 20 January 2025 at approximately 3:55 pm EST (2055 UTC), a Bombardier Challenger 350 with Portuguese registration CS-CHJ, operated by NetJets Europe as flight 755E, was climbing after departing runway 32 at Lynden Pindling International Airport (MYNN) in Nassau, Bahamas. The aircraft was carrying six passengers and two crew members, with a final destination of Teterboro Airport (KTEB), New Jersey, USA.
According to the pilot in command, the takeoff was normal. While climbing through an altitude of about 5,500 feet and an airspeed of approximately 230 knots indicated airspeed (KIAS), the flight crew heard a very loud “bang” from the left side of the aircraft, accompanied by significant vibration and a yaw to the left. The roll-yaw moment was quickly corrected without the autopilot. The crew also heard “cracking” sounds coming from the left engine, followed by an interstage turbine temperature (ITT) exceedance warning.
The left engine was brought to idle, and the N1 (fan speed) parameters appeared normal, though residual vibration persisted. The pilot monitoring declared an emergency (MAYDAY) with Nassau Departure Control, and the crew performed an in-flight shutdown of the left engine according to manufacturer and operator procedures. The aircraft landed safely without further incident. No injuries were reported.
Aircraft Information
The aircraft was a Bombardier BD-100-1A10, marketed as the Challenger 350. It was manufactured on 9 December 2019 and issued an airworthiness certificate on 13 January 2020. The registered owner was NetJets Transportes Aereos, S.A., and the operator was NetJets Europe. The serial number was 20832.
Engine Information
The left engine was a Honeywell HTF7350 turbofan, serial number P136797. It had accumulated 4,775.3 hours time since new (TSN) and 3,117 cycles since new (CSN) at the time of the occurrence. The first scheduled digital image inspection was due at 4,800 hours TSN. Maintenance records indicated that all required recommended practices and procedures for the left engine had been carried out as prescribed by the manufacturer.
A Honeywell service bulletin (SB AS907-72-9081), dated 25 September 2018, introduced improved Stage 2, 3, and 4 compressor stator vanes with an updated abradable spray process for improved bonding characteristics. This bulletin was categorized as optional (Category 3) and had not been incorporated on the left engine; the part numbers of the installed stator vanes confirmed that the bulletin was not applied.
Investigation
The investigation was conducted by the Aircraft Accident Investigation Authority (AAIA) of the Bahamas. It was classified as a System Component Failure-Powerplant (SCF-PP) occurrence. The aircraft sustained damage, but no further details on the extent of damage were provided. No injuries occurred to crew, passengers, or ground personnel. No probable cause was stated in the final report.