Pinned

The following information is derived from the FAAs Service Difficulty Reports and Aviation Maintenance Alerts.

Wednesday, February 25, 2015 at 12:00 AM ET

Verified

Key Takeaways:

Multiple aircraft incidents across various types highlight recurring issues with missing, improperly installed, or failed cotter pins in critical control and structural systems.
These cotter pin deficiencies led to a range of serious safety concerns, including loss of flight control (aileron, elevator, throttle, propeller), missing landing gear components, and collapsed landing gear.
A significant number of reported incidents occurred at low part total times, pointing towards initial installation errors, improper pin sizing, or early wear as primary contributing factors.

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Cub Crafters CC18-180 Top Cub
Missing Aileron System Cotter Pin
Discovered right aileron cable-to-bellcrank attach bolt nut missing its cotter key (p/n MS24665). Nut was still present.
Part Total Time: 27.0 hours

Cub Crafters CC18-180 Top Cub
Missing Elevator System Cotter Pin
During inspection of new aircraft for contract compliance verification, discovered up elevator cable-to-elevator bellcrank attach bolt nut (castellated nut) missing its cotter key. Nut was still present but appeared to have backed off 1.0 to 1.5 turns.
Part Total Time: 24.0 hours