Narrative:

Crew took off with the outflow valve cover still installed over the outflow valve. The cause was a deviation in our normal preflight duties that we normally assign to each crew member. I (captain) was to set up the cockpit, and sic was to remove covers (engine and outflow) and do the exterior preflight walkaround. The sic was busy conversing with the line crew, so I pulled the gear pins, put them away, and reported my actions to the sic so he would know I had done this. I then went to the cockpit to resume my cockpit set-up. He then removed the engine covers and did the walkaround preflight. He thought I removed the outflow cover when I removed the gear pins, but did not ask me. I also failed to confirm with him that the exterior preflight had been accomplished. We took off and realized immediately what we had done. We requested 10000 ft be our leveloff altitude until we could discuss the problem and what we wanted to do. Because of embarrassment, the sic said we needed to land at cho airport to drop a package that should have been left at the iad airport FBO. ATC then queried as to what the package contained (for security reasons, I suppose). The sic then admitted what we had done, and that we wanted clearance to land at cho, which was approved. On landing, cho tower requested the crew call them from the local FBO, which the sic did. They explained their concern of security, and that they almost dispatched a military aircraft to check our situation out. We did remove the cover at cho, refiled and continued with no problems. The main cause, we discussed, was a deviation from normal duties assigned to each crew member, and failure to confirm with each other that each crew member's duties had been completed. Postflt, we discussed adherence to assigned duties, and method to assure each other's duties had been accomplished.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: GLF-4 CREW DID NOT REMOVE THE OUTFLOW VALVE COVER BEFORE TKOF. THE CREW FABRICATED A STORY FOR LNDG AT THE NEAREST SUITABLE ARPT. THE CTLRS WERE CONCERNED THE ACFT WAS A SECURITY THREAT.

Narrative: CREW TOOK OFF WITH THE OUTFLOW VALVE COVER STILL INSTALLED OVER THE OUTFLOW VALVE. THE CAUSE WAS A DEV IN OUR NORMAL PREFLT DUTIES THAT WE NORMALLY ASSIGN TO EACH CREW MEMBER. I (CAPT) WAS TO SET UP THE COCKPIT, AND SIC WAS TO REMOVE COVERS (ENG AND OUTFLOW) AND DO THE EXTERIOR PREFLT WALKAROUND. THE SIC WAS BUSY CONVERSING WITH THE LINE CREW, SO I PULLED THE GEAR PINS, PUT THEM AWAY, AND RPTED MY ACTIONS TO THE SIC SO HE WOULD KNOW I HAD DONE THIS. I THEN WENT TO THE COCKPIT TO RESUME MY COCKPIT SET-UP. HE THEN REMOVED THE ENG COVERS AND DID THE WALKAROUND PREFLT. HE THOUGHT I REMOVED THE OUTFLOW COVER WHEN I REMOVED THE GEAR PINS, BUT DID NOT ASK ME. I ALSO FAILED TO CONFIRM WITH HIM THAT THE EXTERIOR PREFLT HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED. WE TOOK OFF AND REALIZED IMMEDIATELY WHAT WE HAD DONE. WE REQUESTED 10000 FT BE OUR LEVELOFF ALT UNTIL WE COULD DISCUSS THE PROB AND WHAT WE WANTED TO DO. BECAUSE OF EMBARRASSMENT, THE SIC SAID WE NEEDED TO LAND AT CHO ARPT TO DROP A PACKAGE THAT SHOULD HAVE BEEN LEFT AT THE IAD ARPT FBO. ATC THEN QUERIED AS TO WHAT THE PACKAGE CONTAINED (FOR SECURITY REASONS, I SUPPOSE). THE SIC THEN ADMITTED WHAT WE HAD DONE, AND THAT WE WANTED CLRNC TO LAND AT CHO, WHICH WAS APPROVED. ON LNDG, CHO TWR REQUESTED THE CREW CALL THEM FROM THE LCL FBO, WHICH THE SIC DID. THEY EXPLAINED THEIR CONCERN OF SECURITY, AND THAT THEY ALMOST DISPATCHED A MIL ACFT TO CHK OUR SIT OUT. WE DID REMOVE THE COVER AT CHO, REFILED AND CONTINUED WITH NO PROBS. THE MAIN CAUSE, WE DISCUSSED, WAS A DEV FROM NORMAL DUTIES ASSIGNED TO EACH CREW MEMBER, AND FAILURE TO CONFIRM WITH EACH OTHER THAT EACH CREW MEMBER'S DUTIES HAD BEEN COMPLETED. POSTFLT, WE DISCUSSED ADHERENCE TO ASSIGNED DUTIES, AND METHOD TO ASSURE EACH OTHER'S DUTIES HAD BEEN ACCOMPLISHED.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 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.