Narrative:

I sent the first officer out to the airplane. His normal duties at that point are: power up the airplane, do a preflight and walk around, set the fuel bugs and monitor the fueling. After signing the flight releases and checking the WX, NOTAMS, etc, I walked out to the aircraft. From where I approached the airplane only the left side of it was visible. I observed the first officer walking around the nose of the airplane to continue his walk around on the right side of the aircraft. He held in his hand two gear pins. I looked over the left side of the aircraft and noted no irregularities. The gear pins, pitot covers, propeller tie, and engine air inlet cover were all removed. The navigation light, wing boots, tires, and gear all looked good. I then entered the cockpit. The before start checklist was completed. After receiving a clear to start signal from the ramp agent and a 'windows closed clear on the right side' from the first officer, the right engine was started. No irregularities were noted and the engine started normally. The left engine was then started also. Both good starts. We then taxied out for the departure. The taxi checklist was completed and all speeds, acceleration height, etc, were determined and set. No irregularities were found, everything was normal. After being cleared into position and hold, the before takeoff checklist was completed and all engine parameters were normal. We were then cleared for takeoff. The first officer was flying and he began to advance the power levers for takeoff. We noticed immediately that the right torque was not accelerating normally. With the power levers at equal positions the left torque was moving through 80% (100% takeoff was the planned setting) while the right torque was lagging at 40%. All other engine parameters were normal. We immediately called for the abort and informed the control tower of that fact. Indicated airspeed was approximately 60 to 70 KTS when we aborted. I did a ground inspection of the right engine. That is when I discovered the engine air inlet cover still in the front of the engine inlet. Flight and maintenance control were than called. Maintenance in syracuse then inspected the engine visually and two high power runups were done. No damage was done and no defects were found. In my opinion 4 mistakes were made. First, the first officer missed the removal on the walk around (he removed only the left side). Second, when the right engine was cleared for start by the ramp agent it was missed again. Third, when the first officer cleared the right engine for start he missed it. Fourth, it was my mistake by not checking it after the first officer's walk around. The reason it was missed initially by the first officer was when he was at that point (removal of the cover) the fueler called him over to the truck for a min. In that distraction he lost his place and missed it. Prevention of this can be done by: if a distraction occurs at any point in any procedure, go back to where you were at in the procedure even if it means starting over. Always check things twice to ensure that they are accomplished and maintain the best communication possible. On items that must be removed before flight (gear pins, etc) maintain and inventory the items so when all are stowed away any missing items will be detected at that point.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: TKOF IS ABORTED ON LTT WHEN RIGHT ENGINE DOES NOT SPOOL UP TO FKOF PARAMETERS.

Narrative: I SENT THE F/O OUT TO THE AIRPLANE. HIS NORMAL DUTIES AT THAT POINT ARE: PWR UP THE AIRPLANE, DO A PREFLT AND WALK AROUND, SET THE FUEL BUGS AND MONITOR THE FUELING. AFTER SIGNING THE FLT RELEASES AND CHKING THE WX, NOTAMS, ETC, I WALKED OUT TO THE ACFT. FROM WHERE I APCHED THE AIRPLANE ONLY THE L SIDE OF IT WAS VISIBLE. I OBSERVED THE F/O WALKING AROUND THE NOSE OF THE AIRPLANE TO CONTINUE HIS WALK AROUND ON THE R SIDE OF THE ACFT. HE HELD IN HIS HAND TWO GEAR PINS. I LOOKED OVER THE L SIDE OF THE ACFT AND NOTED NO IRREGULARITIES. THE GEAR PINS, PITOT COVERS, PROP TIE, AND ENG AIR INLET COVER WERE ALL REMOVED. THE NAV LIGHT, WING BOOTS, TIRES, AND GEAR ALL LOOKED GOOD. I THEN ENTERED THE COCKPIT. THE BEFORE START CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED. AFTER RECEIVING A CLR TO START SIGNAL FROM THE RAMP AGENT AND A 'WINDOWS CLOSED CLR ON THE R SIDE' FROM THE F/O, THE R ENG WAS STARTED. NO IRREGULARITIES WERE NOTED AND THE ENG STARTED NORMALLY. THE L ENG WAS THEN STARTED ALSO. BOTH GOOD STARTS. WE THEN TAXIED OUT FOR THE DEP. THE TAXI CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED AND ALL SPDS, ACCELERATION HEIGHT, ETC, WERE DETERMINED AND SET. NO IRREGULARITIES WERE FOUND, EVERYTHING WAS NORMAL. AFTER BEING CLRED INTO POS AND HOLD, THE BEFORE TKOF CHKLIST WAS COMPLETED AND ALL ENG PARAMETERS WERE NORMAL. WE WERE THEN CLRED FOR TKOF. THE F/O WAS FLYING AND HE BEGAN TO ADVANCE THE PWR LEVERS FOR TKOF. WE NOTICED IMMEDIATELY THAT THE R TORQUE WAS NOT ACCELERATING NORMALLY. WITH THE PWR LEVERS AT EQUAL POSITIONS THE L TORQUE WAS MOVING THROUGH 80% (100% TKOF WAS THE PLANNED SETTING) WHILE THE R TORQUE WAS LAGGING AT 40%. ALL OTHER ENG PARAMETERS WERE NORMAL. WE IMMEDIATELY CALLED FOR THE ABORT AND INFORMED THE CTL TWR OF THAT FACT. INDICATED AIRSPD WAS APPROX 60 TO 70 KTS WHEN WE ABORTED. I DID A GND INSPECTION OF THE R ENG. THAT IS WHEN I DISCOVERED THE ENG AIR INLET COVER STILL IN THE FRONT OF THE ENG INLET. FLT AND MAINT CTL WERE THAN CALLED. MAINT IN SYRACUSE THEN INSPECTED THE ENG VISUALLY AND TWO HIGH PWR RUNUPS WERE DONE. NO DAMAGE WAS DONE AND NO DEFECTS WERE FOUND. IN MY OPINION 4 MISTAKES WERE MADE. FIRST, THE F/O MISSED THE REMOVAL ON THE WALK AROUND (HE REMOVED ONLY THE L SIDE). SECOND, WHEN THE R ENG WAS CLRED FOR START BY THE RAMP AGENT IT WAS MISSED AGAIN. THIRD, WHEN THE F/O CLRED THE R ENG FOR START HE MISSED IT. FOURTH, IT WAS MY MISTAKE BY NOT CHKING IT AFTER THE F/O'S WALK AROUND. THE REASON IT WAS MISSED INITIALLY BY THE F/O WAS WHEN HE WAS AT THAT POINT (REMOVAL OF THE COVER) THE FUELER CALLED HIM OVER TO THE TRUCK FOR A MIN. IN THAT DISTR HE LOST HIS PLACE AND MISSED IT. PREVENTION OF THIS CAN BE DONE BY: IF A DISTR OCCURS AT ANY POINT IN ANY PROC, GO BACK TO WHERE YOU WERE AT IN THE PROC EVEN IF IT MEANS STARTING OVER. ALWAYS CHK THINGS TWICE TO ENSURE THAT THEY ARE ACCOMPLISHED AND MAINTAIN THE BEST COM POSSIBLE. ON ITEMS THAT MUST BE REMOVED BEFORE FLT (GEAR PINS, ETC) MAINTAIN AND INVENTORY THE ITEMS SO WHEN ALL ARE STOWED AWAY ANY MISSING ITEMS WILL BE DETECTED AT THAT POINT.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.