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FAA urges Cessna 150/152 hinge bolt inspections

The FAA has issued a special airworthiness information bulletin (SAIB) to alert operators of some Cessna 150 and Cessna 152 airplanes about the potential of loose bolts at the elevator attach points.

The FAA issued the SAIB on May 11 after receiving a report through the Service Difficulty Reporting (SDR) system "of the elevator hinge bolt backing out on Cessna Model 150 airplanes. This allowed the elevator to separate from the horizontal stabilizer in-flight, which resulted in reduced controllability in the pitch axis.”

The FAA said it identified main issues including “excessively worn attach hardware and the use of incorrect attach hardware. Corrosion may have been a contributing factor in some instances.”

After reviewing service difficulty reports dating to 1979, seven similar reports were found.

The SAIB includes a table listing affected models that share a common design to attach the elevator to the airplane.

The agency recommends "performing the inspections detailed in the Cessna supplemental inspection document (SID) 55-10-01," and replacing worn or incorrect hardware according to the instructions in the SID.

AOPA ePublishing staff

AOPA ePublishing Staff editors are experienced pilots, flight instructors, and aircraft owners who have a passion for bringing you the latest news and AOPA announcements.

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