Cracked, Failed, Broken

The following information is derived from the FAA’s Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts.

Wednesday, December 19, 2012 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Several aircraft components, including strobe light switches and exhaust tail pipes, experienced failures due to internal defects or fatigue.
Engine components like crankshafts and turbine inlet temperature (TIT) probes showed premature cracking or breakage.
Critical parts such as a TIT probe and a magneto exhibited remarkably short service lives, failing after only 21 and 16 hours respectively.
Maintenance lapses, specifically inadequate lubrication of a nosewheel steering brace, also led to component failure.

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Beechcraft A36 Bonanza
Failed Strobe Light Switch
During a routine inspection, it was noted the strobe lights would remain on after the switch was selected “off.” Troubleshooting revealed the switch to be defective. Once replaced per AD 2008-13-17, the original switch was disassembled. The solder joint holding the braided wire had broken, and welded itself to the line post. Switch p/n 35-380132-103.
Part Total Time: 516.0 hours

Beechcraft C90GTX King Air
Failed Nosewheel Steering
The aircraft’s nosewheel steering failed. Investigation revealed lack of grease on the steering brace (p/n 101-820024-15). No other findings or problems were detected on the steering assembly. After greasing, operational and functional tests performed smoothly. Recommendation: The steering brace must be greased with the aircraft both on and off jacks to guarantee full lubrication.
Part Total Time: (unknown)