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WING INSPECTION FOR CESSNA 336s & 337s WITH WING TIP EXTENSIONS |
On March 16, 2010, the FAA issued a Special Airworthiness Inspection Bulletin then ammended it on May 12, 2010 with a revised Special Airworthiness Inspection Bulletin (SAIB) for Cessna Models 336, 337, and F337 (Reims). The SAIB also referenced a preliminary NTSB report associated with the bulletin. The bulletin discusses a potential issue with aircraft that have been modified with an STC for extended wingtips. If your airplane is equipped with extended wingtips, we recommend that during your preflight inspections you carefully look for smoking rivets on both the top and bottom surfaces of the wings near the inboard aileron hinge. You should also look for wrinkles, cracks, or any signs of distress in the upper wing skins, near unreinforced access holes, and along both front and rear spars. Check the wingtips, too, to ensure none of the fasteners are missing and that none of them are loose. We also recommend that you modify your preflight checklist to include all these items so that you have a writen reminder to yourself to look for them. Another good time to inspect the wings is after your flight when you are finished for the day. Take a damp rag to your plane, clean the bugs off the leading surfaces, and look for imperfections while you're at it. Additionally, we recommend that during your annual inspections, you double check with your mechanic to ensure that he or she has taken a close look at the particular wing stations idendified in the SAIB as potential problem areas and has carefully reviewed Cessna Service Newsletter SNL06-6 and Aviation Enterprises Wing Extension Service Letter AE01-11-00. |