Pinned

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Multiple aircraft incidents across various types highlight a recurring problem with missing or improperly installed cotter pins.
These cotter pin issues led to failures or malfunctions in critical systems, including flight controls (aileron, elevator), engine throttle, propeller control, and landing gear.
Incidents ranged from discovery during inspections to in-flight emergencies and gear collapse, affecting aircraft with very low operating hours as well as those with extensive service time.

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Cub Crafters CC18-180 Top Cub
Missing Aileron System Cotter Pin
Discovered right aileron cable-to-bellcrank attach bolt nut missing its cotter key (p/n MS24665). Nut was still present.
Part Total Time: 27.0 hours

Cub Crafters CC18-180 Top Cub
Missing Elevator System Cotter Pin
During inspection of new aircraft for contract compliance verification, discovered up elevator cable-to-elevator bellcrank attach bolt nut (castellated nut) missing its cotter key. Nut was still present but appeared to have backed off 1.0 to 1.5 turns.
Part Total Time: 24.0 hours