On the early Thursday morning of August 20, 2009, C-GNRL, a classic Convair 580 operated by Nolinor Cargo of Canada departed from Cincinnati’s Northern Kentucky International (CVG/KCVG), airport on the return leg of a nightly round-trip from Montréal-Trudeau (YUL/CYUL) airport in Québec, Canada. The routing for these flights regularly take a path directly through Cleveland airspace, but the flights pass high overhead, rarely to be seen. This was all to change on that morning in August 2009.
Nolinor Cargo, a division of Nolinor Aviation, began services in 1997 primarily serving small fishing villages in Québec, and has grown slowly but steadily ever since. With its successful record of on demand and scheduled passenger and cargo services, a regular and routine round trip was established between the two cities.
Heading northward towards Cleveland shortly after departing Cincinnati, the venerable Convair’s number two Allison 501 turboprop engine began experiencing overspeed problems prompting an engine shut down and an emergency diversion to Cleveland Hopkins airport where it landed safely with the number two engine feathered. The aircraft, fully laden with cargo, was taxied to the south cargo ramp to await word from the company as to what to do next.
Arriving at Hopkins from Montréal to assist in the recovery of sister-ship, C-GNRL. Photo: Dave Reed - OPShots.net
Help was soon on its way in the form of C-FAWV, another Convair 580 and a stablemate of the stricken plane which brought company mechanics from Montréal to assess the situation, and an able-bodied aircraft to transfer the now delayed cargo within. It wasn’t very long before the Nolinor techs determined that an engine change was in order, and they would have to do it in the open air, in a foreign country, quite a distance from the comforts of their home maintenance hangar, and all this would require some well-tuned logistics!
This 737 Combi brought a spare engine to CLE from Montréal for an on-site engine change for Convair 580 C-GNRL. Photo: Chuck Slusarczyk Jr. - OPShots.net
C-FAWV made two separate trips; the initial one on August 20th, and a follow up trip the next day. The main event, however, occurred two days after the diversion on August 22, with the arrival of C-GTUK, a company 737-2B6 Combi which brought in a spare engine for the disabled Convair. Thankfully, good weather prevailed and a rapid replacement followed by finishing touches, resulted in a successful test run on August 23rd, three days after the problem arose. A few hours after the test flight, C-GNRL returned to Montréal and re-entered service shortly thereafter.
Pictured on the cargo ramp with the offending engine removed and the replacement hung. Photo: Chuck Slusarczyk Jr. - OPShots.net
This was not to be the end of this particular aircraft’s troubles, however. On March 20, 2011 in full view of hundreds of spectators on hand to witness the first arrival of the new Boeing 747-8i at Boeing Field (BFI/KBFI), the aircraft had an as-yet unexplained taxiing accident while preparing to depart as flight 920 to Calgary, Canada. Several aircraft, ground equipment and a fence were damaged in the incident, including an Ameriflight Piper Navajo, N27579.
