FAA notes concern about Cessna 120, 140 seat belt brackets
Two fatal accidents and three other incidents linked to the failure of aluminum seat belt mounting brackets on Cessna 120 and Cessna 140 airplanes have prompted the FAA to seek information from operators on any other known failures or damage to the brackets.
The FAA circulated the request for information in a December 14 airworthiness concern sheet about the bracket, part number 0425132, that was used on early models of the single-engine taildraggers.
According to the ACS, Cessna Aircraft parent company Textron Aviation issued Cessna Single Engine Service Bulletin SEB-25-03 in response to a July 5, 2014, fatal accident. In April 2015, the FAA issued Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) CE-15-13, which recommended that aluminum brackets be replaced with steel brackets as provided in the service bulletin.
Operators are now being asked to provide information including “description of damage, available photos, airplane serial number, type of seat belt installed, and details of failure discovery.”
They can submit their information by email or by mail to the address provided in the ACS.
