SAIB ACE-98-11 —

No. ACE-98-11 November 24, 1997

Published by: FAA, AFS-610, P.O. Box 26460, Oklahoma City, OK 73125 This is issued for informational purposes only and any recommendation for corrective action is not mandatory.

The purpose of this Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) is to provide safety information to Alexander Schleicher Models ASW-15 and ASW-15B sailplane owners on the following:

• Stiffness in the Control Guides (Technical Note No. 4) (ASW-15) • Increase Service Life/Maintenance Manual Revision (Technical Note No. 20)

Background The FAA is currently conducting an assessment of foreign airworthiness directives that have been issued by the German Luftfahrt-Bundesamt (LBA) on German type certificated sailplanes. The LBA has issued German airworthiness directives on the service difficulty issues listed above. The FAA is currently assessing the need to issue corresponding U.S. airworthiness directives on U.S. type certificated Models ASW-15 and ASW-15B sailplanes. In the interim, the FAA is using this Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin to inform U.S. owners of this model sailplane of the service difficulties reported by the manufacturer. If an airworthiness directive is determined to be appropriate, a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking will be issued. The following is a brief description of the main areas of each issue.

Stiffness in the Control Guides (Technical Note No. 4) Alexander Schleicher has determined that there has been service history showing that control system (ailerons and elevator) guides become dirty and sticky in their movements by debris from the landing gear. To eliminate this possibility, Alexander Schleicher has issued Technical Note No. 4 that requires the installation a dust cover. For your information, Alexander Schleicher Technical Note No. 4 is enclosed. The FAA highly encourages you to ensure that this modification has been accomplished on your sailplane. If this modification has not been accomplished, the manufacturer has estimated that it will take approximately two hours to accomplish. Alexander Schleicher has the parts available to accomplish this modification. The cost is approximately $30.00 U.S. dollars. (Model ASW-15 only)

Increase Service Life/Maintenance Manual Revision (Technical Note No. 20) Alexander Schleicher has developed Technical Note No. 20 that increases the service life of the ASW-15 to 6,000 hours. For your information, Alexander Schleicher Technical Note No. 20, is enclosed.

Additional Information The FAA has issued the following Airworthiness Directive (AD) on the Alexander Schleicher Models ASW-15 and ASW-15B. This information is provided to you for your information only.

2 ACE-98-11

• AD 75-17-11; Accomplish Technical Note No. 10 to ensure proper fin-rudder nose clearance (Applicable to Model ASW-15 only). • AD 84-20-01; Accomplish Technical Note No. 21 to prevent elevator bellcrank failure due to fatigue. • AD 88-11-05; Superseded by AD 95-09-12 • AD 95-09-12; Accomplish Technical Note No. 23 to prevent failure of the wing spar caused by wood rot.

Further Information Contact: Alexander Schleicher GmbH & Co. Segelflugzeugbau, Postfach 60, D-36161 Poppenhausen, Germany; Telephone 49.6658.8920; Facsimile 49.6658.8940 or 49.6658.8923.

John Murray, Eastern Sailplanes, United States Alexander Schleicher Dealer, 398 Miami Street, Post Office Box 753, Waynesville, OH 45068; Telephone (513) 897-5667; Facsimile (513) 897-5909.

Mike Kiesov, Aerospace Engineer/Pilot, FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 1201 Walnut, Kansas City, Missouri, 64106; telephone (816) 426-6934; Facsimile (816) 426-2169.