FAAST Blast — November 12, 2009
Biweekly FAA Aviation News update
SAIB Issued for Zodiac CH601XL and CH650 Light Sport Aircraft
FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) on November 7, 2009, to address an airworthiness concern on all variants of Zodiac CH601XL and CH650 airplanes. FAA conducted a special review to evaluate possible in-flight structural failures believed to be the cause of five accidents since 2005. The review determined that rather than a single root cause, the accidents implicate a potential coupling of design and operational aspects of the aircraft.
Among the areas of concern: wing structure, structural stability, flutter, airspeed calibration, and stick force characteristics. FAA recommends all owners and operators of Zodiac CH601XL/CH650 airplanes comply with actions outlined in an Aircraft Manufacturing & Design, LLC (AMD) Safety Alert /Safety Directive before further flight. To view the AMD Safety Alert, go to http://www.newplane.com/amd_downloads/SAFETY%20ALERT%20November%207%202009.pdf.
Here is the Zenith aircraft Web site, addressing kit built versions of the 601XL and 650.
http://www.zenithair.com/news/ntsb-astm-4-09a.html.
To view the SAIB, go to http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/alerts/SAIB/ and reference SAIB CE-10-08.
Proposed Piper AD Would Affect Nearly 42,000 Airplanes
On October 30, 2009, FAA issued a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to propose adopting an Airworthiness Directive (AD) to detect and correct an issue with control wheel shafts on certain Piper airplanes (PA-28, PA-32, PA-34, and PA-44 series). The AD stems from two field reports of control wheel shafts that were assembled incorrectly at Piper— one of which led to a separation of the control wheel from the shaft. Piper issued Service Bulletin 1197A on September 1, 2009, which provides instructions on the inspection and replacement procedure.
If implemented, the AD would require an inspection of the control wheel shaft on both the pilot and co-pilot side, and replacement of the shaft if necessary. FAA estimates 41,928 airplanes in the U.S. registry would be affected and that an estimated repair/replacement cost would be $1,430 per airplane. FAA is seeking comment on this NPRM through December 29.
New
FAA Aviation News Focuses on Winter Flying Safety
Have you seen the latest issue of FAA Aviation News? The November/December 2009 issue covers important winter flying tips. Among them is Aerospace Engineer Paul Pellicano’s article “On Thin Ice,” which discusses ice contamination, the differing vulnerability of different airplanes, and the havoc ice can play with lift, weight, and drag. The bottom line: Make sure your airplane is free of any and all ice contamination prior to takeoff in ground-icing conditions.
To read the entire article, see page 6 of the November/December issue of FAA Aviation News.
Produced by the editors, FAA Aviation News, http://www.faa.gov/news/aviation_news/
Address questions or comments to: AviationNews@faa.gov
