# SAIB ACE-99-01: - Type: Special airworthiness information bulletin (advisory, not mandatory) - Status: Current - Revision: 0 - Issued: October 21, 1998 - Products: Piper Aircraft, Inc., The New J-2, J-3, J3, J4, J5, PA-11, PA-12, PA-14, PA-15, PA-16, PA-17, PA-18 and 2 more - Product type: Aircraft, Small Airplane - PDF: https://openairdocs.org/files/sha256/b6/c2/b6c2d08d2c5c28f6392acc51db5634e27161df76483ca5b0905bf57b5820d705 - FAA DRS: https://drs.faa.gov/browse/excelExternalWindow/435DF139D0842C4A8625721F0052EC5A.0001 - Page: https://openairdocs.org/saib/ACE-99-01 ## Text **SPECIAL** **AIRWORTHINESS** **INFORMATION** **BULLETIN** **AIRCRAFT CERTIFICATION SERVICE 800 INDEPENDENCE AVENUE, S.W.** **WASHINGTON, DC 20591** U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration No. ACE-99-01 October 21, 1998 Published by: FAA, AFS-610, P.O. Box 26460, Oklahoma City, OK 73125 This is issued for informational purposes only and any recommendation for corrective action is not mandatory. Introduction: The purpose of this Special Airworthiness Information Bu lletin (SAIB) is to alert owners/operators of all High Wing Piper Airplanes of possible corrosion problems with the strut attach fittings internal to the wing. The following is a list of model numbers for these aircraf t: J-2, J-3, J3 series, J4 series, J5 series, PA-11 series, PA-12 series, PA-14, PA-15, PA-16 series, PA-17, PA-18 series, PA-20 series, and PA-22 series. This information is advisory in nature and not mandated by regulation. Background: This SAIB is a result of an aircraft accident i nvolving a Piper PA-18-150 Super Cub. The aircraft experienced a structural failure of the left wing stru t attachment. Post accident examination revealed the cause of the failure to be corrosion of the forward lift strut attach fitting, part number 14192-000. This fitting attaches the outboard end of the lift strut to the wing spar and is composed of forward and aft halves. Inspection of the forward half of the fitting is not po ssible without removing the wing leading edge covering. The inspectable part of this fitting is limited to the aft half through an access hole in the lower surface of the wing and the lower portion of both halves where they protrude from the wing. The accident aircraft had not been recovered since 1967 (the fabr ic still punched good) and the forward half of the fitting had not been inspected since at least that time. Pictures of the failed fitting do show however, that there was evidence of corrosion in the aft and lower areas of the fitting, indi cating the likelihood of corrosion to the forward half as well. Recommendation: Note: Based on currently available information, the FAA is only recommending the following actions. The FAA will continue this investigation and analyze any added information. Additional actions, such as the issuance of an Airworthiness Directive, may be required based on this analysis. After reviewing the data surrounding this accident the FAA is recommending that owners/operators of the affected aircraft perform immediate inspections of th e aft and lower portions of the subject fittings. Part numbers of the fittings are as follows; 11755-2 and 11755-3 for the PA-20 and PA-22 and 14192-000 for all other models. If any evidence of corrosion is detected, the forward portion of the subject fitting should also be inspected. The extent of the corrosion damage should be evaluated by an appropriately licensed mechanic and the parts repaired or replaced accordingly. Th ese areas should then be inspected on a recurring basis during annual and/or 100 hour inspections. For Further Information Contact: William O. Herderich, Aerospace Engineer, Atlanta Ai rcraft Certification Office, FAA-Small Aircraft Directorate, One Crown Center, 1895 Phoenix Boulevar d, Suite 450, Atlanta, Georgia 30349; Telephone (770) 703-6084; Facsimile (770) 703-6097; email: William.O.Herderich@faa.gov. ## Registered aircraft it may concern (OpenAirDocs) Registry models matched by make and model, the same way as ADs, most registered aircraft first. - [Piper PA-12](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-12): 1,242 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper PA-18](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-18): 477 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper PA-11](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-11): 439 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper PA-22](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-22): 277 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper PA-16](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-16): 276 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper PA-20](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-20): 276 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper PA-15](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-15): 165 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper J-3](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j-3): 104 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper PA-14](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-14): 100 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper PA-17](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-pa-17): 97 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper J-2](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j-2): 48 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Taylor J-2](https://openairdocs.org/model/taylor-j-2): 21 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper J4](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j4): 15 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper-Dahl J-3](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-dahl-j-3): 2 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [David B Piper PA18 REPLICA](https://openairdocs.org/model/david-b-piper-pa18-replica): 1 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper / Harris PA-11](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-harris-pa-11): 1 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper Whitaker J3](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-whitaker-j3): 1 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper-Carter PA-11](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-carter-pa-11): 1 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper-Ford J3](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-ford-j3): 1 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper-Green-Lewis J-3 CUBY](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-green-lewis-j-3-cuby): 1 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper-Root PA-18 SUPER CUB](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-root-pa-18-super-cub): 1 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper-Smith PA-11](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-smith-pa-11): 1 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper / Duke PA-11](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-duke-pa-11): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper / Grant PA-18](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-grant-pa-18): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper / Harris PA-18](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-harris-pa-18): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper J-3 REPLICA](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-j-3-replica): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper-Long Beach City College J-3](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-long-beach-city-college-j-3): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper/Adrion Advisors PIPER J-3](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-adrion-advisors-piper-j-3): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper/Bristow J3 CUB](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-bristow-j3-cub): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper/Cardinal Airmotive PA-18](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-cardinal-airmotive-pa-18): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper/Howell PA-18](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-howell-pa-18): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper/Mervyn Farm PA-18 180](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-mervyn-farm-pa-18-180): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Piper/Waage Donald PA 18](https://openairdocs.org/model/piper-waage-donald-pa-18): 0 registered aircraft (airframe model) - [Taylor/Michmerhuizen Phil J-2](https://openairdocs.org/model/taylor-michmerhuizen-phil-j-2): 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.