Passenger Compartment Equipment - Installation of F. Atlee Dodge Aircraft Services LLC. Folding Jump Seats

1 FAA Aviation Safety SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS INFORMATION BULLETIN SUBJ: Passenger Compartment Equipment - Installation of F. Atlee Dodge Aircraft Services LLC. Folding Jump Seats SAIB: CE-18-23 Date: July 19, 2018 This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory.

Introduction

This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin addresses issues found in in the installation of F. Atlee Dodge Aircraft Services LLC. folding jump seats in a variety of Textron Aviation, Inc. (Cessna) airplanes following Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SA02008AK and field approval installations of the same or similar seats.

The airplanes affected are Cessna Models 170, 170A, 170B, 172, 172A, 172B, 172C, 172D, 172E, 172F, 172G, 172H, 172I, 172K, 172L, 172M, 172N, 172P, 172Q, 172R, 172S, R172K, 175, 175A, 175B, 175C, 180, 180A, 180B, 180C, 180D, 180E, 180F, 180G, 180H, 180J, 180K, 182, 182A, 182B, 182C, 182D, 182E, 182F, 182G, 182H, 182J, 182K, 182L, 182M, 182N, 182P, 182Q, 182R, 182S, 182T, 185, 185A, 185B, 185C, 185D, 185E, A185E, and A185F airplanes when equipped with F. Atlee Dodge Aircraft Services LLC. folding jump seats following STC SA02008AK or by field approval.

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

Background

The FAA is aware of an accident in which a passenger seated in a F. Atlee Dodge Aircraft Services, LLC. folding jump seat was ejected through the windshield when the nose landing gear collapsed on landing. Investigation has determined that the most likely causes of the ejection to be either the lack of seat belt guides or incorrect installation of the seat belts. During the certification tests for the STC, it was determined that the belt guides were necessary to properly restrain the occupant. It was also found to be necessary to locate the seat belt anchors in specific locations in the seat tracks described in the installation instructions, not in the original design approval holder’s locations. The incorrect installation of the seat belt anchors may have been due to the location markings being worn away or possibly never having been marked correctly during installation.

These items, if not maintained properly, can result in severe injuries or potentially death in the event of an accident. Visual observation of Cessna aircraft with the installation of the folding seat has shown that greater than 50 percent of the airplanes do not appear to conform to the approved configuration in one or more of the following ways:

1) Seat belt anchors are not installed in the correct location in the outboard and/or inboard seat tracks. 2) Seat tracks are missing the markings to indicate the correct location 3) Seats do not have the STC required belt guides. (Installations that were field approved prior to the issuance of the STC, did not have these guides.) 4) Seat belts are not attached to the seat belt anchors using the correct hardware.

2 5) Outboard anchors are attached to the original Cessna attachment instead of the seat track location identified in the folding seat installation instructions. 6) Fittings securing the belts into the seat tracks are not properly locked in place.

F. Atlee Dodge Aircraft Services LLC. has issued Mandatory Service Bulletin (MSB) 3187-I-01) to inspect for proper installation of seat belt guides and seat belt end fittings, install placards, correct the marking and add a flight manual supplement.

STC installations that do not have the belt guides do not conform to their type design and are not in a condition for safe operations and may not properly restrain the occupant in a crash. For these reasons, airplanes containing seats without belt guides should not be returned to service.

Recommendations

The FAA recommends that you incorporate F. Atlee Dodge Aircraft Services LLC. Mandatory Service Bulletin MSB 3187-I-01, Rev. A, dated March 23, 2015 and AFMS / SFM document AFMS- 3187, Rev. I.R., dated October 01, 2015 or later FAA approved revision.

This includes the installation of placards, verification as well as marking of correct seat belt anchor and seat leg locations, and the addition of a flight manual supplement. In addition, as part of the normal preflight inspection of the seat belts for security when occupied, we recommend verification of the seat belt anchors to make sure they are properly secured and that cargo has not knocked them loose from the locking position.

For Further Information, Contact

David Swartz, Senior Aerospace Engineer, 222 W 7th Ave, Anchorage Alaska, 99513 phone: (907) 862-2586; e-mail: [email protected].

For Related Service Information Contact

F. Atlee Dodge Aircraft Services, 6672 Wes Way, Anchorage AK 99518; phone: (907) 344-1755; fax: (907) 344-6720, www.fadodge.com.