BE1900 crew fails to remove an engine cover on preflight; and it is sucked into the engine during st...

Attributes
ACN	728212
Time
Date	200702
Local Time Of Day	0001 To 0600
Place
Locale Reference	airport : zzz.airport
State Reference	US
Altitude	agl single value : 0
Environment
Flight Conditions	VMC
Light	Night
Aircraft 1
Operator	common carrier : air taxi
Make Model Name	Beech 1900
Operating Under FAR Part	Part 121
Flight Phase	ground : parked ground other : engine start
Flight Plan	IFR
Person 1
Affiliation	company : air taxi
Function	flight crew : first officer
Qualification	pilot : multi engine pilot : cfi pilot : commercial pilot : instrument
Experience	flight time last 90 days : 270 flight time total : 700 flight time type : 290
ASRS Report	728212
Person 2
Affiliation	other
Function	maintenance : technician
Events
Anomaly	aircraft equipment problem : less severe non adherence : company policies non adherence : far
Independent Detector	other flight crewa other other : 2
Consequence	other
Supplementary
Problem Areas	Flight Crew Human Performance
Primary Problem	Flight Crew Human Performance

Narrative:

During preflight the engine cover was not removed from the right side engine while the plane was sitting on the ramp. It was on the dark side of the plane and was overlooked on the preflight. During startup the engine cover was sucked into the engine inlet and was trapped by the ice veins in the inlet. The planes the engine indications were all normal during start-up. We then continued to load the airplane and continue the flight not knowing that the cover had been sucked in the engine inlet. We continued from ZZZ1 to ZZZ2 and no indications were that something had happened. The procedure when landing is to turn on the engine anti-ice to prevent foreign objects from entering the inlet. After landing on the postflt walkaround I could not see anything trapped in the ice veins since the door was down and blocking the view to the back of the engine inlet. Again we started up the plane and there were no irregular indications during start-up or the rest of this flight. This went on for five legs before we noticed a problem. While en route to ZZZ we were passing through some moisture so the engine anti ice went on for the first time that day in flight. This is the first time that we noticed something was wrong. The torque on the right engine dropped significantly more than it should have. We then left the moisture turned off the engine anti-ice and everything went back to normal. The captain decided that we should continue on to ZZZ4 and have it looked at when we got there. Once there; the engine anti-ice was turned off so that we could inspect the inlet which is when we found the engine cover. It was not noticed when the engine anti-ice came on when on the ground because the torque was low enough during taxi that the difference could not be seen or felt. As soon as it was discovered it was written up and a mechanic came out to make sure that the engine had not received damage from the cover. It was inspected and found that nothing was wrong and the plane was taken back and finished the day as scheduled.

Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: BE1900 CREW FAILS TO REMOVE AN ENGINE COVER ON PREFLIGHT; AND IT IS SUCKED INTO THE ENGINE DURING START WITH NO ILL EFFECTS. ON THE FIFTH LEG OF THE DAY ANOMALIES ARE NOTED WHICH LEAD TO DISCOVERY BY MAINTENANCE OF THE COVER LODGED IN THE INTAKE.

Narrative: DURING PREFLT THE ENG COVER WAS NOT REMOVED FROM THE R SIDE ENG WHILE THE PLANE WAS SITTING ON THE RAMP. IT WAS ON THE DARK SIDE OF THE PLANE AND WAS OVERLOOKED ON THE PREFLT. DURING STARTUP THE ENG COVER WAS SUCKED INTO THE ENG INLET AND WAS TRAPPED BY THE ICE VEINS IN THE INLET. THE PLANES THE ENG INDICATIONS WERE ALL NORMAL DURING START-UP. WE THEN CONTINUED TO LOAD THE AIRPLANE AND CONTINUE THE FLT NOT KNOWING THAT THE COVER HAD BEEN SUCKED IN THE ENG INLET. WE CONTINUED FROM ZZZ1 TO ZZZ2 AND NO INDICATIONS WERE THAT SOMETHING HAD HAPPENED. THE PROC WHEN LNDG IS TO TURN ON THE ENG ANTI-ICE TO PREVENT FOREIGN OBJECTS FROM ENTERING THE INLET. AFTER LNDG ON THE POSTFLT WALKAROUND I COULD NOT SEE ANYTHING TRAPPED IN THE ICE VEINS SINCE THE DOOR WAS DOWN AND BLOCKING THE VIEW TO THE BACK OF THE ENG INLET. AGAIN WE STARTED UP THE PLANE AND THERE WERE NO IRREGULAR INDICATIONS DURING START-UP OR THE REST OF THIS FLT. THIS WENT ON FOR FIVE LEGS BEFORE WE NOTICED A PROB. WHILE ENRTE TO ZZZ WE WERE PASSING THROUGH SOME MOISTURE SO THE ENGINE ANTI ICE WENT ON FOR THE FIRST TIME THAT DAY IN FLT. THIS IS THE FIRST TIME THAT WE NOTICED SOMETHING WAS WRONG. THE TORQUE ON THE R ENG DROPPED SIGNIFICANTLY MORE THAN IT SHOULD HAVE. WE THEN LEFT THE MOISTURE TURNED OFF THE ENG ANTI-ICE AND EVERYTHING WENT BACK TO NORMAL. THE CAPT DECIDED THAT WE SHOULD CONTINUE ON TO ZZZ4 AND HAVE IT LOOKED AT WHEN WE GOT THERE. ONCE THERE; THE ENG ANTI-ICE WAS TURNED OFF SO THAT WE COULD INSPECT THE INLET WHICH IS WHEN WE FOUND THE ENG COVER. IT WAS NOT NOTICED WHEN THE ENG ANTI-ICE CAME ON WHEN ON THE GND BECAUSE THE TORQUE WAS LOW ENOUGH DURING TAXI THAT THE DIFFERENCE COULD NOT BE SEEN OR FELT. AS SOON AS IT WAS DISCOVERED IT WAS WRITTEN UP AND A MECH CAME OUT TO MAKE SURE THAT THE ENG HAD NOT RECEIVED DAMAGE FROM THE COVER. IT WAS INSPECTED AND FOUND THAT NOTHING WAS WRONG AND THE PLANE WAS TAKEN BACK AND FINISHED THE DAY AS SCHEDULED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of January 2009 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.

BE1900 crew fails to remove an engine cover on preflight; and it is sucked into the engine during start with no ill effects. On the fifth leg of the day anomalies are noted which lead to discovery by maintenance of the cover lodged in the intake.