The concern sheet
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Revised 1/24/02 Airworthiness Concern Sheet
Wess Rouse Small Airplane Project Manager Chicago Aircraft Certification Office Systems & Flight Test Branch 2300 E. Devon Ave.
Des Plaines, IL 60018 847-294-8113 Wess.Rouse@faa.gov Make, Model, Series, Serial No.:
American Champion Aircraft Corporation (ACAC) 7AC, 7ACA, S7AC, 7BCM, 7CCM, S7CCM, 7DC, S7DC, 7EC, S7EC, 7ECA, 7FC, 7GC, 7GCA, 7GCAA, 7GCB, 7GCBA, 7GCBC, 7HC, 7JC, 7KC, 7KCAB, 8KCAB, & 8GCBC Reason for Airworthiness Concern:
Possible loss of flight control due to collapse of folding rear seat back.
Date: February 12, 2009 FAA Description of Airworthiness Concern (Who, What, Where, When, How? Attachments: RA and appropriate data)
This concern is in regard to a model 8KCAB that was performing spins when the instructor’s rear seat back failed on the left side resulting in the instructor rolling to his left and partially into the baggage area. The student pilot and instructor were able to recover from the spin and return to the airport for landing. (See page 2).
Request for Information (Proposed Alternate Inspection/Repair Procedures, Cost Impact, Etc. Note: Any comments or replies to the FAA need to be as specific as possible. Please provide specific examples to illustrate your comments/concerns.):
Please review the attached documents (Determination of Safety Risk Factor document, & Initial Risk Assessment Evaluation Chart, and provide us with any additional information, which may affect the airworthiness action taken by the FAA. This includes comments regarding any additional findings, accidents/incidents, or service difficulties pertaining to this airworthiness concern.
Attachments: *SDR(s) *A/IDS *SL(s) *SAIB *FAASR/*NTSBSR *AD *AMOC *RA
Notification: FAA *AOPA *EAA Type Club *TC Holder O t h e r :
Response Requested 3/12/09: Emergency (10 days) Alert (30 days) Information (90 days) (Space Bar Adds “X” to Check Boxes) This Airworthiness Concern Sheet (ACS) is intended as a means for FAA Aviation Safety Engineers to coordinate airworthiness concerns with aircraft owner/operators through associations and type clubs. At this time, the FAA has not made a determination on what type of corrective action (if any) should be taken. The resolution of this airworthiness concern could involve an AD action or an SAIB, or the FAA could determine that no action is needed at this time. The FAA’s final determination will depend in part on the information received in response to this ACS.
The FAA endorses dissemination of this technical information to all manufacturers and requests association and type clubs comments.
Airworthiness Concern Sheet Page 2 of 2 Revised 1/24/02
FAA Description of Airworthiness Concern (Continued):
The failure of folding front seat back hinges for models 7ECA, 7GCAA, 7GCBC, 7KCAB, 8GCBC, and 8KCAB was addressed with Airworthiness Directive number 89-18-06. Failure of a front folding seat back is seat has a higher probability of loss of control, as the pilot in command is usually in the front seat. The safety concern for a rear folding seat back failure is: 1) when a flight instructor is pilot in command from the rear seat and 2) a rear seat passenger uses the stick as a support to avoid rolling over upon a folding seat back failure.
A search of Malfunction & Defect Reports shows this to be the only known occurrence of a failed rear folding seat back hinge. Possible failure of the hinge is most likely in airplanes manufactured prior to 1980 as no rear seats with folding seat backs were manufactured between 1980 & 1989, and the design was revised in 1989 by American Champion to provide additional strength and a larger pin contact area (wear area) to the seat hinge.
*Service Difficulty Reports (SDRs); Accident/Incident Data System (A/IDS); Service Letter (SL); Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB);
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA)/National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) Safety Recommendation (FAASR/NTSBSR); Airworthiness Directive (AD); Alternate Method of Compliance (AMOC); Risk Assessment (RA); Aircraft Owners & Pilots Association (AOPA);
Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA); Type Certificate (TC)