What was found
PILOT REPORTED RELEASE HANDLE WOULD NOT RETRACT. MAINTENANCE FOUND UPON INSPECTION PART OF SPRING BROKEN. THREE ADDITIONAL SAILPLANES DEVELOPED THIS PROBLEM AT ABOUT SAME TIME IN SERVICE
- Difficulty date
- October 3, 2003
- Submitted
- October 3, 2003
- Operation
- General aviation
- Aircraft
- N420BA
- Make and model
- Let L23SUPERBLAN
- Aircraft serial
- 029007
- System (JASC)
- 5301 · Aerial Tow Equipment
- Part
- Spring
- Part number
- A740224N
- Condition
- Broken
- Location
- Tow Release
- Part time
- 530 hours, 1,764 cycles
- Stage of operation
- IN
- How discovered
- V
- Nature of condition
- O
- Precautionary procedure
- K
As reported to the FAA. Reports are unverified, and codes are left as the FAA publishes them.