Preliminary Report: Cowling flies off Falcon

Dassault Falcon 2000, Stilesville, Ind., April 14, 2006–The Falcon 2000, N722JB, was at FL250 when the left engine cowling separated from the engine and hit the horizontal stabilizer. The crew heard a loud noise and diverted to Stilesville, where they landed without incident. The airplane was substantially damaged, but the pilot and copilot, the only occupants, were not injured. The Falcon was en route from Springfield to Dayton, Ohio, and the incident happened near the Indiana-Ohio border about 30 to 50 miles west of Indianapolis. The Civil Air Patrol and the Indiana Department of Aeronautics searched for the missing cowling, but it has not been recovered.