What happened
On 23 February 2020, a Bombardier CL-600-2B16 (Challenger 605), registered as C-GKCP, was performing a flight from Palm Beach International Airport, Florida, to Calgary International Airport, Alberta. The aircraft was carrying 10 passengers and 3 crew members.
While descending toward the Calgary area, the flight crew attempted to select flaps 20. This action triggered a "FLAPS FAIL" caution message on the engine indication and crew alerting system. In response to the malfunction, the crew requested vectors to the east to allow time to execute the appropriate procedures found in the Quick Reference Handbook. Following these procedures, the crew prepared for a landing with zero flaps on Runway 17R.
The aircraft touched down at 1434 Mountain Standard Time. During the subsequent landing roll, the crew applied maximum reverse thrust. This application caused the aircraft's pitch attitude to increase significantly, resulting in the aircraft becoming partially airborne for a short duration. During this period, the rear fuselage made contact with the runway. As the crew worked to recover from the nose-high attitude, the nose landing gear struck the runway with high force. The aircraft eventually completed the landing roll and reached its intended parking area. There were no injuries reported, though the forward fuselage sustained significant damage.
The investigation
The TSB examined the sequence of events leading from the flap system failure to the impact with the runway. The investigation focused on the aircraft's aerodynamic response to maximum reverse thrust following the landing and the subsequent structural contact with the runway surface.