Airworthiness Concern Sheet-Piper PA-28 Fuel Selectors
Notice Number: NOTC9658
On July 11, 2019, Piper sent the FAA a Preliminary Risk Assessment regarding the first generation of fuel selectors installed on the PA-28 (first introduced in 1961) and recommended the FAA issued an AD to remove and replace the fuel selectors. The first generation of fuel selector mechanism installed on PA-28 models was a flat, round plate with a lever that could be manually rotated to one of four positions (each with its own detent): OFF – L – R – OFF. The design does not include any protection against inadvertent disruption of the position of the lever from its intended position nor does it prevent over-rotation which could result in mistakenly selecting the OFF position when not intended. After 1971, Piper released two different design improvement iterations (second generation and third generation) of the fuel selector to minimize the possibility of selector lever positioning errors.
Date: June 10, 2019
This Revised Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) clarifies the recommendation regarding the dispositioning of jet fuel contaminated with Diesel Exhaust Fluid (DEF). The SAIB advises airplane operators, fixed base operators (FBOs), FAA repair stations, Flight Standard District Offices (FSDOs), and foreign civil aviation authorities of certain airplanes that uplifted jet fuel contaminated with DEF, or uplifted jet fuel using refueling equipment that was exposed to DEF. This SAIB also requests feedback regarding any service difficulties or operational anomalies of the identified airplanes and recommends that the owners of those airplanes consult with the original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) of their airplane, engine, and auxiliary power unit (APU) to determine the appropriate inspection and corrective maintenance actions on their airplane. This revision corrects and clarifies the Recommendations paragraph.
Introduction
This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) alerts you, aircraft owners and operators with installations of ACR Electronics, Inc. (ACR)(formerly Artex Aircraft Supplies, Inc. and Chelton Avionics, Inc. and doing business as Wulfsberg Electronics) emergency locator transmitters (ELT) G406-4, C406-1, C406-1HM, C406-2, C406-2HM, C406-N and C406-NHM identified by Part Number (P/N) and serial number (s/n) in Table 1 of this SAIB, of an airworthiness concern, specifically the ELT not transmitting alert and location signals in case of an accident due to an inoperative or a deteriorated G-switch. ELTs located in high vibration environments, for example in the tail of a helicopter, could have its acceleration sensor deteriorate after having been subjected to high levels of shock and vibration for five (5) years or more. This SAIB recommends best practices for the inspection, modification and replacement of these ELTs located in high vibration environments.
ELT Model P/N s/n (up to, inclusive)
Table 1: SAIB Applicability (Note this applicability is regardless of whether there are additional digits and Revision status appended to the ELT P/N, e.g. 453-5003-123 Rev B. is an affected P/N.)
Introduction
This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) alerts, owners, operators, and certified repair facilities that all Lycoming Engines (Lycoming) engines equipped with certain Parallel Valve Cylinders and Head Assemblies, which were shipped from Lycoming between September 1, 2013 and April 30, 2015, have experienced cracking in service.
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 Aviation Regulations (14 CFR) part 39.
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