NTSB preliminary report shows Tamarack SMARTWING wingtips were operating with no flight control anomalies

The National Transportation Safety Board’ Preliminary Report outlined known details of the accident on March 30, 2023 when the Tamarack wingtip was dislodged from the Cessna CitationJets’ left wing. The NTSB Preliminary Report released on April 5th states that, "The pilot performed an emergency landing at Tampa International Airport (TPA) Tampa, Florida, without issue. Furthermore, he (the pilot) stated that there were no flight control anomalies." The full report can be found here.

The pilot reported that while in a cruise descent at an altitude of about 30,000 ft, at about 18:15 ET, he felt two “big jolts,” and saw the left wingtip was missing.  He followed standard procedure and slowed the aircraft while making a smooth approach and then landing without incident  … the landing was recorded by an airborne news helicopter. The pilot was ferrying the business jet from Arkansas to TPA. This aircraft is the third in a fleet upgraded with SMARTWING sustainable technology that dramatically extends range, smooths flight and provides associated safety capabilities. The jets owner is having the missing Tamarack wingtip replaced so the aircraft can quickly get back into service. 

Examination of the airplane revealed that the left wing extension and the left aileron were substantially damaged in the event; and the left wing extension, Tamarack winglet, and Tamarack Active Camber Surfaces (TACS) were all missing. The remaining components of the Tamarack system were documented and examined on the airplane and no system anomalies were noted.

The aircraft has been released to be repaired and returned to service, which will be handled by a Florida maintenance (MRO) facility.  The NTSB will continue its investigation and eventually issue a Final Report. What is known is that even with the left wing extension, winglet, and TACS all missing the pilot was able to readily control the aircraft and land “without issue.” 

Jacob Klinginsmith, President of Tamarack Aerospace, commented: “We are obviously grateful that nobody was injured in this strange event. We’re supporting the NTSB investigation to learn what happened in the air that would have caused the winglet and wing extension to be ripped from the aircraft. The FAA certification and engineering process served this pilot very well because he was obviously able to control the airplane and make a very smooth approach and landing. During certification, we successfully flight tested a “one winglet removed” scenario simulating a bird strike, lightning strike, wake turbulence or any other abnormal damage to the winglet, so we would expect the plane to handle as well as we saw in the video of this emergency landing. Congratulations to the pilot and thank you to the multiple upgraded aircraft owner that have benefitted from Tamarack technology in their operations (the pilot and owner don’t want to be identified at this time).”

Tamarack currently has more than 180 upgraded CitationJets and strong interest from the military and airline industry. Tamarack works with new SMARTWING upgrade owners and operators and concentrates on all aspects of safe flying techniques which are also featured in cooperation with the Federal Aviation Administration’s, approved  WINGS Pilot Proficiency course about safe operation of the Tamarack upgrade. The course can be found at  Tamarackaero.com.