Potential Crankshaft Flaw Prompts FAA To Issue Continental Engine AD

The airworthiness directive effectively grounds roughly 1,632 aircraft registered in the U.S. immediately, according to the FAA.

Meg Godlewski

Friday, February 24, 2023 at 01:50 PM ET

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The FAA issued an airworthiness directive aimed at aircraft, such as Cirrus SR-22s, that are powered by certain piston engines manufactured by Continental Aerospace Technologies. [File Photo: Adobe Stock]

Key Takeaways:

The FAA has issued an urgent Airworthiness Directive (AD) for certain Continental piston engines (360, 470, 520, and 550 series) due to a risk of improperly seated crankshaft counterweight retaining rings, which could lead to catastrophic engine failure.
This AD effectively grounds affected aircraft, including Cirrus SR22s, Beechcraft Barons, and Bonanzas, until mandatory inspections of the crankshaft counterweight retaining rings are completed.
Inspections must be performed before the next flight on engines manufactured between June 2021 and February 2023, overriding a previous Continental service bulletin with stricter requirements; special flight permits are possible under specific conditions involving oil filter/change inspection for metal contamination.

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The FAA has issued an airworthiness directive aimed at aircraft powered by certain piston engines manufactured by Continental Aerospace Technologies. The AD—issued on the heels of a Continental Mandatory Service Bulletin (MSB23-01A) earlier this month—effectively grounds the aircraft until the directive, which focuses on the crankshaft counterweights, can be complied with.

The AD, published on February 23, calls for inspection of the crankshaft counterweight retaining ring within five hours for those new or rebuilt engines with less than 200 hours in operation since installation. Models include those in the 360, 470, 520, and 550 series.