FAA Proposes New AD On Piper Wing Spars

The April 4, 2018, crash of a Piper PA-28R-201 Arrow V operated by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) continues to have repercussions. Most recently, the FAA has published a proposed airworthiness directive (AD) that would require inspecting each main wing spar of a wide range of Piper airplanes. The proposed AD is a response to the ERAU crash, which involved the inflight separation of the Piper Arrows left wing. Both aboard died and the airplane was destroyed.

Aviation Safety

Sunday, January 27, 2019 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has proposed an Airworthiness Directive (AD) requiring inspections for fatigue cracks in the main wing spars of nearly 20,000 Piper PA-28 and early PA-32 aircraft, prompted by a fatal 2018 crash caused by in-flight wing separation due to fatigue.
This proposed AD mandates calculating "factored service hours" to determine when inspections are necessary, specifically targeting aircraft subjected to repeated high-load operating conditions to identify and replace cracked wing spars.
Separately, the FAA issued Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO 18014) providing guidance on identifying and manipulating trim and autopilot circuit breakers during abnormal or emergency situations, following accidents where pilots failed to disable malfunctioning systems.

See a mistake? Contact us.

The April 4, 2018, crash of a Piper PA-28R-201 Arrow V operated by Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (ERAU) continues to have repercussions. Most recently, the FAA has published a proposed airworthiness directive (AD) that would require inspecting each main wing spar of a wide range of Piper airplanes. The proposed AD is a response to the ERAU crash, which involved the inflight separation of the Piper Arrow’s left wing. Both aboard died and the airplane was destroyed.

During its investigation, the NTSB found “more than 80 percent of the lower spar cap and portions of the forward and aft spar web doublers exhibited fracture features consistent with metal fatigue. The fatigue features originated at or near the outboard forward wing spar attachment bolt hole.” The NTSB’s investigation included examining a second Piper Arrow, one that “had a similar number of total airframe hours and cycles and was used exclusively for flight training of students.” That examination revealed a crack at the left lower outboard forward wing spar attachment bolt hole similar to the accident airplane.