The bulletin
Text extracted from the PDF.
SPECIAL
AIRWORTHINESS
INFORMATION
BULLETIN
Aircraft Certification Service Washington, DC
U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration
CE-05-03 October 20, 2004 www.faa.gov/certification/aircraft This is information only. Recommendations aren’t mandatory.
Introduction
This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin advises you, registered owners of GA aircraft, of a possible problem with dry air pump installations using cork gaskets between the pump and engine drive pad. This configuration could be found on both single and multiple engine aircraft with dry air (vacuum) pump installations.
Background
We have been advised that some of the dry air pumps and possibly pump drive coupling kits provided by Parker Hannifin (Airborne), produced under a Parts Manufacture Approval, may have incorporated a cork gasket.
Inspections found that the cork gasket was a contributing factor in several incidents involving loss of engine oil.
We notified industry of this problem in the November 2002 issue of the Aviation Alerts, AC 43.16A. However, we continue to receive reports of accidents/incidents involving loss of engine oil resulting from failure of cork type gaskets installed between the dry air pump and the engine drive pad. Evidence also indicates that torque values on the attachment fasteners may decrease over time as the cork gasket material shrinks or is compressed during installation.
Recommendation
We recommend a one-time inspection for the presence of cork type gaskets between the dry air pump and the engine drive pad. Cork type gaskets can be identified by their light brown color. Non-cork type gaskets will be dark gray or black in color.
If the gasket material is cork, you should replace the gasket with an approved non-cork type gasket before further flight. You should accomplish the replacement of the gasket in accordance with the airframe manufacturer's appropriate maintenance publications including proper torque sequence and torque values.
If you find any presence of oil leakage due to the gasket, regardless of material type, you should replace it with an approved non-cork type gasket.
For Further Information Contact
Paul Pendleton, Aerospace Engineer, FAA Wichita ACO, 1801 Airport Road, Rm 100, Wichita, KS 67209; phone: (316) 946-4143;
email: paul.pendleton@faa.gov
Barry Ballenger, Continued Operational Safety, FAA Small Airplane Directorate. 901 Locust, Rm 301, Kansas City, MO 64106; phone: (816) 329-4152; email: barry.ballenger@faa.gov