Fri, Jul 03, 2009
Issues Concerning Horizontal Stabilizers
The FAA has issues a Special
Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) for owners and operators
of True Flight Aerospace LLC (Grumman American) Model AA-5
airplanes (Traveler, Cheetah, Tiger), of an issue concerning the
horizontal stabilizer forward spar attachment and surrounding
structure in the aft fuselage area.
At this time, this airworthiness concern is not an unsafe
condition that would warrant AD action.
During a routine inspection, maintenance personnel found cracked
and deformed structure in the aft fuselage area including
horizontal stabilizer forward spar attachment structure, spar
support angles, and stiffeners. While there are no previous reports
of similar damage in the AA-5 airplanes, there have been reports
for the AA-5A and AA-5B models. In 2003, the FAA issued SAIB
CE-04-34 to inform owners of this potential issue on the AA-5A and
AA-5B models and the SAIB included an inspection of this area of
the airplane. In 2003, the type certificate owner issued an update
to the maintenance manual to add instructions for this inspection
for the AA-5A and AA-5B airplanes.
There are currently no clear instructions in the
maintenance manual for inspecting this area of the AA-5 model.
The FAA encourages owners and
maintenance personnel to perform detailed visual inspections of the
horizontal stabilizer forward spar attachment structure, and
surrounding area, of the AA-5 airplanes at the following times:
- At every annual/100 hour inspection.
- After hard landings, tail strikes, or any other notable impact
or force in tail area.
The FAA recommends that the maintenance manuals for the airplane
be consulted for more information. True Flight Aerospace informed
the FAA that the basic inspection points should be applicable to
all of the AA-5 series models.
More News
From 2023 (YouTube Version): Legacy of a Titan Robert (Bob) Anderson Hoover was a fighter pilot, test pilot, flight instructor, and air show superstar. More so, Bob Hoover was an i>[...]
Get The Latest in Aviation News NOW on Instagram Are you on Instagram yet? It's been around for a few years, quietly picking up traction mostly thanks to everybody's new obsession >[...]
Aero Linx: B-52H Stratofortress The B-52H Stratofortress is a long-range, heavy bomber that can perform a variety of missions. The bomber is capable of flying at high subsonic spee>[...]
Altimeter Setting The barometric pressure reading used to adjust a pressure altimeter for variations in existing atmospheric pressure or to the standard altimeter setting (29.92).>[...]
"Knowing that we play an active part in bettering people's lives is extremely rewarding. My team and I are very thankful for the opportunity to be here and to help in any way we ca>[...]
Classic Aero-TV: Remembering Bob Hoover
See All