Cut, Broken, Cracked

The bulkhead (p/n 0450046-5) was installed in 2007 at 1476.4 flight hours and has been inspected each 100 hours since. At the latest inspection, a crack was discovered at the base of the propeller hub; after removing the hub, severe cracking was found, comprising 85 percent of the distance around the center of the bulkhead. Mandatory propeller removal should take place at least every 200 hours of operation for a more thorough inspection of the bulkhead.

Editorial Staff

Tuesday, February 28, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

A range of aircraft components, including spinner bulkheads, flap cables, oil cooler vernatherms, and engine cylinders, are exhibiting various failures such as cracking, fraying, and internal mechanism breakdown.
Several of these issues, notably frayed flap cables on Cessna 337D Skymasters and cracked ECI cylinders, are identified as recurring or fleet-wide problems, with manufacturers sometimes initiating replacements.
These incidents highlight the critical importance of thorough and often more frequent inspections, which may require component removal or specialized techniques like dye-penetrant, to detect defects proactively.