AOPA and the American Bonanza Society (ABS) continue to research and evaluate the issues associated with Beechcraft Bonanza-Baron spar web cracking. Determining the real safety issues and finding the best resolution are the top priorities. And you, the aircraft owner, are a vital link in supplying the information needed to find that solution.
ABS has released a second survey for aircraft owners who are affected by this issue - owners of Bonanzas, Debonairs, Travel Airs, and normally aspirated Barons built between 1957 and the late 1980s. The scope of this survey has been narrowed to give the society precisely the information it needs, and it will be used to supplement data gathered from the previous one.
"The ABS needs a high response rate from the affected aircraft owners so that they can pull reliable conclusions from the results," said Rob Hackman, AOPA manager of regulatory and certification policy.
ABS has gathered data with a detailed survey of owners and from the aerospace structures engineers hired to find the cause of the cracks in the carry-through structure, bulkhead flanges, and fuselage skins. However, more information is needed.
ABS is asking all of the affected aircraft owners to complete and send them a printed copy of the survey along with a photograph or sketch of the cracks before January 31.
Surveys can be mailed or sent via fax:
ABS Manager of Technical Services
1922 Midfield Road
Wichita, KS 67209
Fax: 316/945-1710
January 13, 2005