SAIB CE-00-29

SPECIAL

AIRWORTHINESS

INFORMATION

BULLETIN

REGULATORY SUPPORT DIVISION P.O. BOX 26460 OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA 73125-0460

U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration No. CE-00-29 August 1, 2000 SAIB’s are posted on the internet at http://av-info.faa.gov This is issued for informational purposes only and any recommendation for corrective action is not mandatory.

Introduction:

The purpose of this Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) is to advise registered owners/operators of Partenavia/Vulcanair P68 model aircraft of the need for a nacelle/wing spar inspection.

Background:

The Small Airplane Directorate of the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), has recently received safety information from the REGISTRO AERONAUTICO ITALIANO (RAI) on the Partenavia/Vulcanair P68 aircraft. The safety information was the result of an inspection on a P68 aircraft in Australia. During a routine maintenance inspection, an operator recently found that an engine nacelle rivet had been incorrectly driven into the main wing front spar cap, thereby compromising its integrity.

It was determined that this was not the result of design or manufacturing, but was likely introduced during maintenance. This information may already have been provided to you from the manufacturer or U.S.

dealer.

The FAA does not plan to issue an Airworthiness Directive, at this time, since this has only occurred on one aircraft and the Partenavia service letter only requires notification of the manufacturer for further instructions. The RAI has issued Airworthiness Directive 2000-139, dated March 3, 2000.

Recommendation:

The manufacturer is recommending the following actions. The FAA highly recommends, but does not require that these actions be followed by the operators of these aircraft. The actions recommended are to follow the information described in Partenavia/Vulcanair Service Letter No. 9 (ALERT), issued January 28, 2000. Service Letter No. 9 calls for an inspection of the suspect area to check for correct positioning of the rivets and to inform Vulcanair of any descrepancies using the form attached to the service letter.

For Further Information Contact:

Roman T. Gabrys, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Kansas City, Missouri, 64106; telephone: (816) 329-4141; Fax: (816) 329-4090; email: roman.gabrys@faa.gov.