Horizontal Stabilizer Elevator Attach Points

1 FAA Aviation Safety SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS INFORMATION BULLETIN SUBJ: Horizontal Stabilizer – Elevator Attach Points SAIB: CE-17-12 Date: May 11, 2017 This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory.

Introduction

This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin alerts owners, operators, maintenance technicians, and inspectors of an airworthiness concern, specifically for the potential of loose bolts at the elevator attach points on Textron Aviation Inc. (Cessna Aircraft Company) 150 and 152 (all models listed in Table 1 of this SAIB) airplanes.

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

Background

The FAA recently received a report through the Safety Difficulty Reporting (SDR) system of the elevator hinge bolt backing out on Cessna Model 150 airplanes. This allowed the elevator to separate from the horizontal stabilizer in-flight, which resulted in reduced controllability in the pitch axis. The main issues identified include excessively worn attach hardware and the use of incorrect attach hardware. Corrosion may have been a contributing factor in some instances. We found seven similar reports after further review of SDR’s going back to 1979. The design used to attach the elevator to the airplane is common among the models of airplanes listed in Table 1 of this SAIB.

Model S/N 150 617, 628, 644, 649, 17001 - 17999, 59001 - 59018, 15059019 - 15079405 A150 A15000001 - A1500734 A-150 A-1501001 - A-1501039 A-A150 A-A1500001 - A-A1500009 F150 F150-0001 - F150-0529, F15000530 - F15001428 FA150 FA1500001 - FA1500120 FRA150 FRA1500121 - FRA1500336 152 15279406 - 15286033 A152 A15200735 - A15201049 FA152 FA15200337 - FA1520425 F152 F15201449 - F15201980

Table 1. Affected Airplane Models

2 Recommendations

The FAA recommends performing the inspections detailed in the Cessna supplemental inspection document (SID) 55-10-01. If worn or incorrect hardware is found, it should be replaced according to the instructions in the SID.

For Further Information Contact

Adam Hein, Aerospace Engineer, 1801 Airport Road, Wichita, KS 67209; phone: (316) 946-4116; fax: (316) 946-4107; e-mail: [email protected].

For Related Service Information Contact

Textron Aviation Customer Service, P.O. Box 7706, Wichita, KS 67277, U.S.A.; phone: (316) 517- 5800; fax: (316) 517-7271.