Summary
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) recently became aware of two incidents in the Netherlands where corrosion on the wing spars of Piper Aircraft Corporation (Piper) PA28 series airplanes was so extensive that the wings were replaced. The corrosion, which was discovered in the wing tank area, caused the wing spar material to come off in flakes and strips (exfoliation). A review of the U.S. service difficulty history on Piper PA28 and PA32 series airplanes revealed several incidents where exfoliation corrosion was found on the wing spar in the wing tank area. The purpose of this advance notice is to seek comments from interested persons regarding the best action (if any) to take in order to correct any possible problems with exfoliation corrosion on the wing spar on Piper PA28 and PA32 series airplanes. All comments will be evaluated by the FAA and the FAA will research the situation to decide whether rulemaking is needed.