Van’s Aircraft recently updated its customers regarding reports of cracked parts found in some of the company’s kits.
Van’s published a notice about the problem and followed with a live update last week at EAA AirVenture, reported KITPLANES.
Van’s Updates List of RV Parts Reportedly Forming Cracks
The company says the defects in certain rivet holes appear to have resulted from the laser-cutting process.
Key Takeaways:
- Van's Aircraft informed customers about cracked kit parts, caused by a temporary shift to laser-cutting rivet holes (February 2022 - June) by an outside vendor to boost production.
- The laser-cutting process led to localized metal overheating, causing cracks around rivet holes after dimpling during assembly.
- Van's has since discontinued laser-cut parts, returned to the traditional press-punch method, and is actively testing to determine which affected parts are safe and which require replacement.
- Customers are instructed to stop building with the affected laser-cut parts and await a replacement process, which will be established after an estimated 45-60 days of testing.
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