WIX Archives
Re: T-34 AD Update
Posted by Frank Sigona on Mon Mar 29, 2004 07:56:59 PM
In reply top T-34 AD Update posted by B Darnell on Mon Mar 15, 2004 08:38:54 AM
: From ANN
: T-34 ADs: AMOC Could Keep 'Em Flying
: EAA, AOPA, T-34 Association Trying To Prevent Entire Fleet
: From
: Being Grounded
:
: Sport and GA advocacy groups are banding together to stop
: the
: FAA from grounding the entire T-34 fleet. And it seems to
: be
: working.
:
: The FAA has now approved an alternative methods of complia
: nce
: (AMOC) submitted by the T-34 Association regarding revised
:
: airworthiness directive (AD) 2001-13-18 R1 that deals with
: T-34
: wing spar failures. The revised AD recently invalidated pr
: evious
: AMOCs approved for the original AD because FAA feels they
: do not
: address all four critical areas prone to fatigue cracks in
: the
: aircraft's wing spar assemblies. However, the T-34
: Association submitted new AMOCs that incorporate inspectio
: n of the
: rear spars.
:
: Without approved AMOCs, a large number of the aircraft wil
: l
: effectively be grounded when the revised AD goes into effe
: ct
: Monday. Affected aircraft include Raytheon Aircraft Corp.
: Beech
: Models 45 (YT-34), A45 (T-34A, B-45), and D45 (T-34B).
:
: "We don't have hard numbers yet, but
: it appears that a very high percentage of T-34s will be gr
: ounded,"
: said AOPA Director of Regulatory and Certification Affairs
: Luis
: Gutierrez. "The few shops that are authorized to do the ne
: cessary
: work are already backlogged. These backlogs could lead to
:
: significant delays in scheduling and extended down time fo
: r
: aircraft owners."
:
: In 1999 a T-34 engaged in mock aerial combat crashed. The
:
: resulting examination revealed fatigue cracks at multiple
: locations
: in the wings of the accident aircraft. As an interim fix,
: the FAA
: issued an AD instating airspeed and G-load limitations whi
: le
: Raytheon developed a "mandatory" service bulletin to inspe
: ct the
: critical fatigue locations. In 2001 FAA finalized the AD m
: andating
: wing-spar inspections and approved four AMOCs to address f
: atigue
: concerns. Then in November 2003, a second T-34 crashed aft
: er
: experiencing a separation of the right wing. Two people di
: ed in that Texas
: crash.
: In both cases, the wing separated at the same point on the
:
: aircraft. The only difference was that the second aircraft
: had an
: additional separation point at the lower wing attach fitti
: ng not
: inspected in any of the AMOCs issued for the original AD.
:
: FMI: www.eaa.org, www.aopa.org/whatsnew/newsitems/2004/200
: 11318ad_r1.txt,
: www.t-34.com