Directives to Expand Wing Spar Inspections on PA-28 and PA-32 Models

The EAA recently submitted comments to the FAA regarding its recent airworthiness directive (AD) pitches for the Piper PA-28 and PA-32. The two proposals would expand the number of aircraft requiring wing spar checks and reformulate inspection timing.

The first suggested AD is FAA-2024-2142, which alters the calculations to time the eddy current inspections (ECIs) of lower main wing spar bolt holes. The result may require aircraft owners to repair or replace cracked spars. 10,665 aircraft, including the popular PA-28-181 Archer II and the PA-32-260 Cherokee Six models, are included in the proposal.

The second AD, FAA-2024-2143, would require maintenance records to be reviewed to see if the lower main wing spar bolt holes were inspected. If not, upon reaching 12,000 hours in service, the aircraft must have a one-time ECI of the lower wing spar bolt holes to look for cracking and determine if a repair or replacement is necessary. This impacts 10,927 planes, like the PA-28-180 Cherokee and the PA-32R-300 Cherokee Lance.

Comments for both of these ADs closed in early November -- one on the 4th and the other on the 7th. Aircraft owners are rightfully frustrated with the proposals, and the EAA chose to speak up on their behalf.

“EAA and others are concerned that the FAA has failed to properly consider the safety risk and financial burden of the proposed additional inspections,” the organization said. It believes that “neither proposed AD, as put forward by the FAA, addresses all technical aspects regarding the hazards of expanded inspections.”

In its claim, the EAA pointed to comments submitted by Piper Aircraft on November 1. The manufacturer urged the FAA to reconsider its “overly conservative” proposals.

Piper stated: “We believe the majority of owners regard this as a serious issue that warrants inspection to ensure a safe fleet long into the future, however we also fear overburdensome inspections and parts replacement requirements will cause affected aircraft to be economically unsupportable.”

The ADs are a followup to AD 2020-26-16, which was published in January 2021. This responded to an accident in 2018 where a Piper Arrow’s wing separated, causing the death of a commercial pilot applicant and their designated pilot examiner.

FMI: www.eaa.org