FAA responds to AOPA, approves less costly inspections for Ercoupe wing spar

The FAA this week issued a final airworthiness directive (AD) incorporating recommendations made by AOPA and the Ercoupe Owners Club (EOC) for alternative wing spar inspection procedures. AOPA and EOC had opposed the FAA's proposed inspection procedures as too costly and less effective at detecting corrosion than other available methods. The final AD, requiring inspections for possible corrosion in the wing center section of affected aircraft, allows owners to utilize a less expense and less time-consuming procedure by extending the repetitive inspection interval from a proposed 100 hours/annual to three-year intervals. The AD affects approximately 2,600 Ercoupe, Alon, Forney, and Mooney airplanes. For more information and a copy of the AD, see AOPA's issue brief.

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