THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, March 19, 1995 TAG: 9503190034
SECTION: FRONT PAGE: A4 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: THE WASHINGTON POST
DATELINE: WASHINGTON LENGTH: Short : 47 lines
The Federal Aviation Administration has ordered the immediate grounding of at least 6,000 piston-powered general aviation airplanes because they might have a substandard, unapproved part in the engine that could cause a crash.
The order involves small airplanes and helicopters made by dozens of manufacturers. It grew out of an incident Dec. 9 in which the engine on a Cessna 177RG failed. The pilot landed with the power off and there were no injuries. Since then there has been one other engine problem discovered during maintenance on another aircraft.
Thomas McSweeney, the FAA's director of aircraft certification, said tests have determined that the failures were caused by a fractured connecting rod bolt that ``appeared to be a suspected unapproved part.''
Such ``bogus parts,'' as they are commonly known in aviation parlance, have been a source of regulatory headaches for years but have never been blamed for an accident. Bogus parts are manufactured and distributed without the careful inspection and record-keeping that the FAA requires.
The grounding order could wreak havoc on weekend pleasure flying as well as the operations of some small air taxi and air freight companies. Before the 6,000 planes can be flown legally, their owners must determine if an engine has received a new connecting rod bolt since Feb. 15, 1994, when the suspect parts became available.
If a new bolt has been installed, mechanics have to remove the cylinder head and determine if the bolt is approved; if not, a complete engine tear-down is required to replace the bolt.
The FAA said that as few as 300 of the 6,000 planes affected by the order may actually carry unapproved parts but all have to be inspected. Neither FAA nor general aviation industry officials could say Friday night how long it would take to conclude the inspections.
McSweeney said the bogus parts appear to have come from Germany and were packed in boxes that made them seem to be approved parts from Textron Inc.'s Textron Lycoming Reciprocating Engine division, an engine manufacturer in Williamsport, Pa. The engines involved are Textron Lycoming piston engines with a horsepower rating between about 180 and 360 horsepower. by CNB