# SAIB 2026-14: Rudder Control System, Brake - Type: Special airworthiness information bulletin (advisory, not mandatory) - Status: Current - Revision: 0 - Issued: August 25, 2026 - Products: Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing SA26-AT, SA26-T, SA226-AT, SA226-T, SA226-T(B), SA226-TC, SA227-AC (C-26A), SA227-AT, SA227-BC (C-26A), SA227-CC, SA227-DC (C-26B), SA227-PC and 1 more - Product type: Aircraft, Small Airplane - PDF: https://openairdocs.org/files/sha256/e1/48/e148b2bfc613094124763d84b5e5adc5e0f845948e5793c4d32a0a951b54ca7b - FAA DRS: https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/DRSDOCID117275641220260825161659.0001 - DRS record last changed: August 25, 2026 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/saib/2026-14 ## Text FAA Aviation Safety **SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS** INFORMATION BULLETIN SUBJ: Rudder Control System, Brake SAIB: 2026-14 Date: August 25, 2026 This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory. Introduction This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) advises owners, operators, and maintenance technicians of Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc. (type certificate formerly held by M7 Aerospace LLC and Fairchild Aircraft Incorporated) Model SA26 series, SA226 series, SA227 series, and SA227 Commuter Category Series airplanes of the potential failure of the rudder pedal arm lower lug. This SAIB also asks owners, operators, and maintenance technicians to report rudder pedal arm failures and other non-conformities. Some of these models are commercially referred to as Merlin, Metro, and Metroliner aircraft. At this time, the airworthiness concern is not an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 39. Background An operator notified the FAA of cracks in the lower lug of the rudder pedal arms discovered on three separate aircraft during regular maintenance. Subsequent laboratory tests of the cracked rudder pedal arms indicated the presence of stress corrosion cracking. Chemical analysis of the crack deposits revealed chlorides, indicating a chloride rich environment may be facilitating the stress corrosion cracking. Possible chloride sources include maintenance cleaning agents, salts carried on the aircraft via personnel footwear, and operational exposure in maritime or coastal environments. Failure of the rudder pedal arm lower lug could lead to partial or complete jamming/interference of the rudder control system, the wheel brake system, and the nose wheel steering system. This could result in loss of directional control on the ground and subsequent high-speed runway departure. Recommendations The FAA recommends the following: 1) Inspect and replace the rudder pedal arms with a new rudder pedal arm assembly in accordance with one of the following service bulletins, as applicable to the airplane: • Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc. Service Bulletin 26-27-005, dated November 7, 2025 • Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc. Service Bulletin 226-27-085, dated November 7, 2025 • Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc. Service Bulletin 227-27-065, dated November 7, 2025 • Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc. Service Bulletin CC7-27-039, dated November 7, 2025 2) Replace cracked parts in accordance with the applicable service bulletin. 3) Report any findings of cracked, corroded, or damaged rudder pedal arms found during the inspection via email to ecb-cos@faa.gov. Please include the make, model, serial number, and total time in service of the aircraft. If possible, attach photographs of cracked, corroded, or damaged locations. Under the provisions of the Paperwork Reduction Act (44 U.S.C. 3501 et seq.), the OMB has approved the information collection contained in this SAIB and assigned OMB Control Number 2120-0731. All responses to this collection of information are voluntary; the nature and extent of confidentiality to be provided, if any. Send comments regarding this burden estimate or any other aspect of this collection of information, including suggestions for reducing this burden to: Information Collection Clearance Officer, Federal Aviation Administration, 10101 Hillwood Parkway, Fort Worth, TX 76177-1524. For Further Information Contact Frank Huynh, Aviation Safety Engineer, 1701 Columbia Avenue, College Park, GA 30337; phone: (404) 474-5526; email: ecb-cos@faa.gov. For Related Service Information Contact Ontic Engineering and Manufacturing, Inc., 1176 Telecom Drive, Creedmoor, NC 27522; phone: (919) 956-4300; email: metroliner@ontic.com; website: metromerlin.com. ## Registered aircraft it may concern (OpenAirDocs) Registry models matched by make and model, the same way as ADs, most registered aircraft first. - [Fairchild SA227-AC](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa227-ac): 54 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Swearingen SA-226T](https://openairdocs.org/model/swearingen-sa-226t): 21 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Swearingen SA226-T(B)](https://openairdocs.org/model/swearingen-sa226-t-b): 16 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA227-DC](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa227-dc): 12 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Swearingen SA227-AT](https://openairdocs.org/model/swearingen-sa227-at): 12 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Swearingen SA227-TT](https://openairdocs.org/model/swearingen-sa227-tt): 11 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA227-AT](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa227-at): 9 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Swearingen SA-26AT](https://openairdocs.org/model/swearingen-sa-26at): 9 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA227-DC (C26B)](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa227-dc-c26b): 8 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Swearingen SA226TC](https://openairdocs.org/model/swearingen-sa226tc): 8 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Swearingen SA227-AC](https://openairdocs.org/model/swearingen-sa227-ac): 8 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA226-T(B)](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa226-t-b): 3 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA227BC](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa227bc): 3 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Swearingen SA-226AT](https://openairdocs.org/model/swearingen-sa-226at): 3 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA226-AT](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa226-at): 1 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA226-T](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa226-t): 1 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA226-TC](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa226-tc): 1 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA227-CC](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa227-cc): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA227-PC](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa227-pc): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA227-TT](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa227-tt): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA26-AT](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa26-at): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild SA26-T](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-sa26-t): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Fairchild Swearingen SA227-TT](https://openairdocs.org/model/fairchild-swearingen-sa227-tt): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Swearingen SA227-PC](https://openairdocs.org/model/swearingen-sa227-pc): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Swearingen SA26-T](https://openairdocs.org/model/swearingen-sa26-t): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) --- OpenAirDocs.org is an independent research project of [Contrail Labs](https://contraillabs.com/). It is not affiliated with the FAA or the NTSB. Source documents are U.S. government works in the public domain.