Mooney Control Yoke Cracks

The FAA has generated an airworthiness concern sheet (ACS), which typically precedes an airworthiness directive.

Joseph E. (Jeb) Burnside

Saturday, November 30, 2024 at 07:10 AM ET

Verified

A close-up view of a fractured Mooney control yoke is shown below, courtesy the FAA and its ACS. Is an AD coming?

Key Takeaways:

The FAA issued an Airworthiness Concern Sheet (ACS) for Mooney M20C through M20G models due to potential fatigue cracks in control yokes, which could lead to control wheel separation and reduced safety margins.
The ACS requests affected operators to perform visual inspections for cracks and report findings, noting that an existing AD did not specifically cover inspection of the control wheel itself.
Darren Pleasance has been named the new President and Chief Executive Officer of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), effective January 1, 2025.
Pleasance, an experienced pilot with over 8000 flight hours, will replace retiring President and CEO Mark Baker.

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Last month in this space, we told you about an FAA Airworthiness Concern Sheet (ACS) being distributed by the agency regarding cracking power levers aboard Cirrus piston singles. This month, we add early Mooney models and their control yokes to the list.

The FAA’s ACS identifies Mooney’s M20C, M20D, M20E, M20F and M20G models as susceptible to the problem, omitting the very early M20/A/B variants as well as the Mooney 201 and later. The FAA says, “Fatigue cracks in control wheel shaft and/or attachment hub may lead to control wheel separation from the shaft.” The ACS notes that such a failure may reduce “safety margins, especially in certain phases of flight, such as takeoff and landing.”