The SaM146 engine cowling detached from the Superjet-100 engine of Red Wings airline, which was en route from Yekaterinburg to Astana. The incident occurred on June 18 immediately after takeoff.
The crew decided to return to the airport. Despite the damage to the skin, the engines continued to operate normally, and all aircraft systems functioned properly.
This is already the fourth such incident with a Superjet in the last three years. Previously, similar incidents occurred with aircraft of "Rossiya" and "Azimuth" airlines.
According to previous investigations, the cause was identified as unlatched engine cowling locks after maintenance.
It should be noted that Sukhoi Superjet 100 aircraft with SaM-146 engines, which can be re-engined with domestic PD-8s, are still flying on regular routes in Russia.
Aviation expert Roman Gusarov previously stated that such a procedure would result in significant costs for operators.