# AD 63-26-03: Tail Area Inspection

- Type: Airworthiness directive
- Status: Current
- Products: Piper PA-23 and PA-23-160
- Effective: July 13, 1971
- Published: July 7, 1971
- Issued: June 28, 1971
- Superseded by: Nothing supersedes this AD
- Product type: Aircraft, Small airplane
- Amendment: 39-1240
- Registered aircraft: 343 may be affected, by airframe or engine model (OpenAirDocs)
- FAA DRS: https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/1E735E0E8FD573CD86256CE500702DF6.0001
- DRS record last changed: November 21, 2025
- Page: https://openairdocs.org/ad/63-26-03

## The airworthiness directive

63-26-03 PIPER: Amdt. 663 Part 507 Federal Register December 24, 1963 as amended by Amendment 39-1240. Applies to Piper Models PA-23 and PA-23-160 Aircraft, Serial Numbers 23-1 through 23-1267, inclusive.

Compliance required as indicated:

  (a) Within the next 50 hours in service after the effective date of this AD, unless already accomplished within the last 50 hours in service, and thereafter at intervals not to exceed 100 hours in service from the last inspection, visually inspect for cracks each of the castings listed herein. When any casting is replaced by the respective forging listed herein, the repetitive inspections of this paragraph and paragraph (b) are no longer required for that forging.

NAME CASTING PART NO.

FORGING Elevator Torque Tube Bracket 17033-00 and 17033-01 19407-00 Front Stabilizer Attachment 17049-00 and 19253-00 19409-02 Rudder Torque Tube Horn 17060-00 19405-00 Elevator Torque Tube Horn 17066-00 19404-00 RudderTorque Tube Bracket 17062-00 19408-00 Fin Attachment Bracket 17072-00 19406-00 or 19406-02

  (b) For airplanes having 1,000 or more hours in service, remove the subject castings from the aircraft, clean thoroughly removing all paint, and perform a dye penetrant inspection for cracks, within the next 100 hours in service after the effective date of this AD, unless already accomplished within the last 400 hours in service, and thereafter at intervals not to exceed 500 hours in service from the last inspection. Prior to reinstallation of castings without cracks, clean thoroughly, and apply zinc chromate primer.

  (c) Replace cracked castings before further flight with a replacement forged or cast part.

  (d) Inspection and reassembly shall be accomplished in accordance with Piper Service Bulletin No. 155B, dated October 28, 1963, or FAA-approved equivalent.

NOTE: For paragraph (a), it is necessary to remove the tail cone, covers, and fairings to gain access to most of the parts to be inspected. However, parts need not be disassembled and/or removed from the aircraft to accomplish this inspection. All of the forged parts listed herein have integral raised digit forging numbers. Therefore, the absence of raised digits will serve to identify the part as a casting.

AD 63-26-03 Amendment 663 supersedes AD 57-13-09.

Amendment 663 was effective December 24, 1963.

Revised on April 26, 1966 and December 16, 1966.

This Amendment 39-1240 is effective July 13, 1971.

## Affected data sheets (1) (OpenAirDocs)

The type certificate data sheets whose models the AD names.

- [TCDS 1A10](https://openairdocs.org/tcds/1A10): Piper Aircraft Inc.; names 2 of 6 models: PA-23-160, PA-23

## Registered aircraft it may apply to (OpenAirDocs)

Matched by airframe and engine model; the AD's applicability may narrow it by serial number, part number or equipment.

- Aircraft: 343 (343 by airframe model, 0 by engine model)
- Makers: Piper 343

Models with the most aircraft:

- [Piper PA-23-160](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23-160): 188 aircraft (airframe model)
- [Piper PA-23](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-23): 155 aircraft (airframe model)

All 2 models: https://openairdocs.org/ad/63-26-03/models.md
Every aircraft: https://openairdocs.org/ad/63-26-03/aircraft.md

Its text cites no advisory circulars or STCs.

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