Flight Controls Frayed Aileron Cables

SAIB CE-11-36 Current Issued 05/31/2011 Cessna Aircraft Company 172S

What is a SAIB?

A Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin is an FAA-issued advisory — not mandatory like an AD, but worth knowing about. SAIBs typically flag service bulletins, manufacturer recommendations, or emerging issues that don't (yet) rise to AD level.

Bulletin text

Verbatim from the FAA-published PDF. 14 paragraphs · 330 words.

FAA Aviation Safety SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS INFORMATION BULLETIN SAIB: CE-11-36 SUBJ: Flight Controls – Frayed Aileron Cables Date: May 31, 2011 This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory.

Introduction

This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin advises owners, operators, and maintenance personnel of an airworthiness concern, specifically the possibility of frayed aileron cables on Cessna Model 172S airplanes.

At this time, this airworthiness concern is not considered an unsafe condition that would warrant an airworthiness directive action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR), part 39.

Background

A flight school has been reporting wear of the aileron control system cable, which is being found during routine inspections. This wear is occurring at the following three locations:  Pulleys in the cabin overhead  Rub strip on the wing ribs  Fairlead near the roll autopilot servo

The reported condition is not a result of improper construction or a deviation from approved type design. The average part hours reported to Cessna is approximately 2,100 hours. The July 2010 issue of Advisory Circular 43-16A (“Aviation Maintenance Alerts”) highlighted the issued of frayed aileron cables and provided excellent pictures of what to look for during the inspection.

Cessna is aware of the perception that these stainless steel control cables are wearing prematurely and has been working on a change to type design to improve the life of the cables. A recommended service bulletin will be published prior to September 2011 for operators who wish to implement it.

Recommendations

Chapter 27 of the Model 172 Maintenance Manual contains instructions that are very thorough in describing how to inspect these cables. The FAA recommends following these existing instructions every 200 hours, as listed in the aircraft maintenance manual.

For Further Information Contact

Ann Johnson, Aerospace Engineer, 1801 Airport Road – Room 100, Wichita, KS 67209; phone: (316) 946-4105; fax: (316) 946-4107; e-mail: [email protected].

For Related Service Information Contact

Cessna Aircraft Company, One Cessna Boulevard, P.O. Box 7704, Wichita, KS 67277; phone: (316) 517-5650. 1

The FAA-published PDF is the authoritative source. Open on drs.faa.gov ↗