Pilot Debrief

CANADAIR LTD CL-600 Challenger near Denver, CO — 2012-09-21

Final reportCEN12IA662
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Date
2012-09-21
Location
Denver, CO, USA
Airport
KDEN
Aircraft
CANADAIR LTD CL-600 Challenger
Registration
N125PS
Category
Airplane
Highest injury
None
Fatalities
0
Phase of flight
Cruise

Probable cause

The internal failure of the galley heater mat’s thermostat, which resulted in an overheat condition.

NTSB narrative

While in cruise flight, the pilots detected smoke emanating from the galley area. They diverted to an alternate airport and landed without incident. Examination of the airplane revealed that a contact pad inside the galley’s water heater assembly thermostat casing had come loose and wedged between the bimetallic strips, which allowed the heater mat to continue to operate and resulted in an overheat condition.

Analysis

Primary failure mode
Mechanical failure
First missed decision gate
Crew could have inspected the heater mat before flight to prevent smoke detection.

NTSB coding

  • Fire/smoke (non-impact) · Enroute

Evidence available

  • 2 docket documents
View NTSB final reportView NTSB docket

Docket documents2

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