Requires Inspection Of Aft Wing Spars

The FAA has issued an AD for Piper's new M600 airplanes, citing a possible issue with some wing spars in the aircraft.

Piper president and CEO Simon Caldecott addressed the issue during a news conference at AirVenture in July. He said that a possible material specification issue had cropped up with the M600, leading to a precautionary grounding of the fleet of 36 delivered airplanes.

Caldecott said that there was a material thickness issue with the aft wing spar that was discovered in one airplane that had been delivered to a dealer. Out of an abundance of caution, an inspection of the spar was recommended for all of the airplanes.

The inspection involves draining the fuel from the fuel tank and measuring the thickness of the spar in the affected area on both wings of the airplane, Caldecott said. A service bulletin has been issued to address the issue. "I would rather be talking to you about doing that than the other consequences," he said.

The FAA's AD (2017-16-03) requires inspection of the aft wing spars with repair as necessary. This AD was prompted by a report from Piper of the aft wing spar cracking during wing assembly. The AD is effective August 9, 2017. Comments must be received on the AD by  September 25, 2017.

The FAA says it received a report from Piper of an aft wing spar cracking during wing assembly on a Model PA-46-600TP (M600) airplane. An investigation of the incident identified that the supplier may have delivered aft wing spars to Piper that did not conform to Piper's type design specifications and requirements. A quality escape during manufacturing resulted in an understrength part, and these nonconforming parts may have been installed on some of the affected airplanes. This condition, if not corrected, could result in failure of the aft wing spar and lead to wing separation with consequent loss of control.

The FAA estimates that the cost of repairing the wing spar, if needed, is $935 per airplane, or $33,660 across the fleet of 36 delivered aircraft.

(Image from file)

FMI: AD