UPDATE: Continental Engine Issue Drives Grounding of Cirrus SR22s, Other Aircraft

The voluntary pause in operations continues until the specific serial number range can be determined.

Julie Boatman

Thursday, February 09, 2023 at 11:10 AM ET

Verified

[Courtesy: Cirrus Aircraft]

Key Takeaways:

Continental Aerospace Technologies has recommended an immediate grounding and inspection of certain piston engines (360, 470, 520, 550 series) due to a potential issue with the crankshaft counterweight retaining ring.
This recommendation specifically targets new or rebuilt engines with less than 200 hours in operation, requiring inspection within 5 hours, and affects aircraft like the Cirrus SR22 series.
Cirrus Aircraft has proactively grounded its own SR22 and SR22T company aircraft manufactured between June 2021 and February 2023, as a precautionary measure.
Both Continental and Cirrus are expected to issue detailed service bulletins and advisories soon, outlining the scope, root cause, and necessary corrective actions.

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An urgent notification to customers and operators of Cirrus SR22 series airplanes powered by certain piston engines manufactured recently by Continental Aerospace Technologies suggests an immediate grounding would be prudent.

On Friday, Continental Aerospace sent out its own updated recommendation, shared with FLYING, broadening the scope of the recommended grounding to encompass a wide range of powerplants and to call for a specific inspection of the crankshaft counterweight retaining ring within 5 hours for those new or rebuilt engines with less than 200 hours in operation since installation. Models include those in the 360, 470, 520, and 550 series.