Narrative:

We received the aircraft before dawn for its first flight of the day. The aircraft had just been parked on the terminal ramp after spending the night in scheduled maintenance. A preflight inspection was performed in accordance with company manuals and no abnormalities were detected. We departed in visual meteorological conditions. Climbing through approximately 4000 feet MSL we experienced what would otherwise be described as wake turbulence with associated aircraft noises; ie; a benign sounding thud or clunk. A routine scan of the instruments and system synoptic pages revealed zero cause for concern. We continued to fly and landed uneventfully. After landing; the ground controller informed us that the aircraft appeared to be missing a section of the left engine cowl. A post flight inspection revealed a section of the left engine cowl had; indeed; detached in flight. Closer inspection also revealed significant damage to both the horizontal and vertical stabilizer; apparently struck by the cowl after it detached from the aircraft. Supplemental information from acn 729145: we did a thorough preflight inspection of the airplane according to our company manual. Upon landing at ZZZ1; the ground controller advised us that part of our left engine cowl was missing. A post-flight inspection revealed that the top middle section of the left engine cowling was missing and there was damage to the horizontal stabilizer and top of the vertical stabilizer. On the climb out of ZZZ; approximately 3000-4000 ft MSL; we experienced what we thought was a little bit of wake turbulence; associated with a slight 'clunk' sound that appeared to come from the nose section of the aircraft. It was not anything significant or an unusual sound associated with a turbulence. All aircraft system appeared normal and I was hand-flying the airplane at the time; and did not notice any unusual aircraft handling characteristics. The airplane felt fine; so we continued to our destination of ZZZ1. Supplemental information from acn 731068: removed and installed upper nose access cowl (l-hand) as per the crj amm. Somewhere during flight; upper nose cowl departed aircraft and caused damage to l-hand horizontal stabilizer. I believe that my actions in no part caused the conditions that ultimately caused cowling to come off aircraft.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: CL65 CREW INFORMED BY GND CTL AFTER LNDG THAT A LARGE SECTION OF THE LEFT ENG COWL IS MISSING.

Narrative: WE RECEIVED THE AIRCRAFT BEFORE DAWN FOR ITS FIRST FLIGHT OF THE DAY. THE AIRCRAFT HAD JUST BEEN PARKED ON THE TERMINAL RAMP AFTER SPENDING THE NIGHT IN SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE. A PREFLIGHT INSPECTION WAS PERFORMED IN ACCORDANCE WITH COMPANY MANUALS AND NO ABNORMALITIES WERE DETECTED. WE DEPARTED IN VISUAL METEOROLOGICAL CONDITIONS. CLIMBING THROUGH APPROXIMATELY 4000 FEET MSL WE EXPERIENCED WHAT WOULD OTHERWISE BE DESCRIBED AS WAKE TURBULENCE WITH ASSOCIATED AIRCRAFT NOISES; IE; A BENIGN SOUNDING THUD OR CLUNK. A ROUTINE SCAN OF THE INSTRUMENTS AND SYSTEM SYNOPTIC PAGES REVEALED ZERO CAUSE FOR CONCERN. WE CONTINUED TO FLY AND LANDED UNEVENTFULLY. AFTER LANDING; THE GROUND CONTROLLER INFORMED US THAT THE AIRCRAFT APPEARED TO BE MISSING A SECTION OF THE LEFT ENGINE COWL. A POST FLIGHT INSPECTION REVEALED A SECTION OF THE LEFT ENGINE COWL HAD; INDEED; DETACHED IN FLIGHT. CLOSER INSPECTION ALSO REVEALED SIGNIFICANT DAMAGE TO BOTH THE HORIZONTAL AND VERTICAL STABILIZER; APPARENTLY STRUCK BY THE COWL AFTER IT DETACHED FROM THE AIRCRAFT. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 729145: WE DID A THOROUGH PREFLT INSPECTION OF THE AIRPLANE ACCORDING TO OUR COMPANY MANUAL. UPON LNDG AT ZZZ1; THE GND CTLR ADVISED US THAT PART OF OUR L ENG COWL WAS MISSING. A POST-FLT INSPECTION REVEALED THAT THE TOP MIDDLE SECTION OF THE L ENG COWLING WAS MISSING AND THERE WAS DAMAGE TO THE HORIZ STABILIZER AND TOP OF THE VERT STABILIZER. ON THE CLB OUT OF ZZZ; APPROX 3000-4000 FT MSL; WE EXPERIENCED WHAT WE THOUGHT WAS A LITTLE BIT OF WAKE TURB; ASSOCIATED WITH A SLIGHT 'CLUNK' SOUND THAT APPEARED TO COME FROM THE NOSE SECTION OF THE ACFT. IT WAS NOT ANYTHING SIGNIFICANT OR AN UNUSUAL SOUND ASSOCIATED WITH A TURB. ALL ACFT SYS APPEARED NORMAL AND I WAS HAND-FLYING THE AIRPLANE AT THE TIME; AND DID NOT NOTICE ANY UNUSUAL ACFT HANDLING CHARACTERISTICS. THE AIRPLANE FELT FINE; SO WE CONTINUED TO OUR DEST OF ZZZ1. SUPPLEMENTAL INFO FROM ACN 731068: REMOVED AND INSTALLED UPPER NOSE ACCESS COWL (L-HAND) AS PER THE CRJ AMM. SOMEWHERE DURING FLT; UPPER NOSE COWL DEPARTED ACFT AND CAUSED DAMAGE TO L-HAND HORIZ STABILIZER. I BELIEVE THAT MY ACTIONS IN NO PART CAUSED THE CONDITIONS THAT ULTIMATELY CAUSED COWLING TO COME OFF ACFT.

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.