SAIB: CE-12-09

The FAA has issued an SAIB affecting the Diamond DA20 series of fixed wing aircraft. The issue surrounds the Nose Gear, specifically the DA20 Nose Landing Fork Assembly.

According to the FAA SAIB, "This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin is issued to inform owners and maintainers of Diamond DA20 series aircraft of a potential unsafe condition regarding the cracking of the nose landing gear (NLG) fork assembly. At this time, this airworthiness concern has not been determined to be an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 39."

Background

Cracks have been discovered on the NLG fork assembly, part number (P/N) 20-3220-08-00, during routine NLG inspections. The cracks appear just above the axle hole on the cut out flange. Transport Canada conducted a review of the service difficulty report database from 2005 to 2010 and found 10 reports concerning this issue.
In order to better detect cracking of the NLG fork assembly, Diamond Aircraft Industries has revised their DA20-A1 and DA20-C1 Aircraft Maintenance Manual Chapter 05-20-00, Scheduled Maintenance Checks. These changes require more frequent and more detailed inspections. Diamond offers a more robust fork assembly, P/N 20-3220-08-00_1, as a replacement for the original P/N 20-3220-08-00. The new part will be installed on new production models and supplied for future procurement orders.
Further detail on this product improvement is available from Diamond Service Information Letters SIL20A1-008 and SIL20C1-005 or by contacting Diamond Aircraft Industries Inc. at www.diamondaircraft.com.

Recommendations

The FAA recommends all affected owners and maintainers acquaint themselves with and adhere to the changes in Diamond’s revised inspection schedule. The FAA also recommends airplane owners replace their original NLG fork assembly with the improved part.

FMI: www.faa.gov, SAIB: CE-12-09, gregory.michalik@faa.gov, techpubs@diamondair.com