Piper Control Cable AD

[Old Akro]

Avweb are carrying an article about a Piper control cable AD that will be released by the FAA on Monday. Control Cable AD Coming For Pipers (http://www.avweb.com/avwebflash/news/Control_Cable_AD_Piper_208109-1.html)

According to this Piper says that ordinary maintenance according to its schedule will pick up any control cable issues. My experience is that (unlike the Beech control cable issue) that you can, relatively easily, see all of the control cables in a Piper. And we seem to semi - regularly be having one of the control cables replaced on our aircraft for lack of adjustment / tension issues or worn or fraying cables.

So, why is this an issue? Have control cables become flavour of the month? Is this really an aircraft AD or an AD against sub-standard maintenance?

Nor do I understand why the AD will affect only singles. I thought the control system on a Seneca was essentially identical to a Lance / Saratoga and a Seminole to a Cherokee? Is the average twin just better maintained?

I'm assuming that after the FAA has released its AD that CASA will follow.

[Creampuff]

The AD is here: http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/0/dda43f69de69ad0e86257b08004e4056/$FILE/2013-02-13.pdf

[Clearedtoreenter]

So, why is this an issue? Have control cables become flavour of the month? Is this really an aircraft AD or an AD against sub-standard maintenance?

Maybe because they are just soooo old. Control cables might have been quietly corroding away for half a century, without anyone looking at them much. Hopefully most of those planes are well maintained but when many are so badly neglected on the outside, you can only wonder what they're like on the inside. Maintaining a 50 year old aircraft taking into account all of the ageing issues properly is not going to be a good economic prospect so to keep some of those old s--tboxes flying profitably, one can only wonder if corners have been cut. I'm guessing like SIDs for Cessnas, we're going to see a lot more of this stuff as the fleet ages.

[Old Akro]

But control cables are one of the core things that are scheduled to be inspected every year and be checked for tension also. So, I return to the question. I think this is not an ageing aircraft issue, its a poor maintenance issue.

In the link that Creampuff posted, the NTSB pretty much says as much when it says that it is issuing the AD because it believes the previously issued SAIR has been ignored.

I would have thought a properly maintained mid to late seventies Piper should be on probably its third set of cables by now.

[Clearedtoreenter]

But control cables are one of the core things that are scheduled to be inspected every year and be checked for tension also. So, I return to the question. I think this is not an ageing aircraft issue, its a poor maintenance issue.

Absolutely agree. Ageing aircraft should not be an issue IF those things were done properly over the years. But when we're dealing with 50 year old planes that were only supposed to last 15, quite a few defects in service are probably popping up that were never considered an issue and our regulators, in their wisdom, have decided ADs are the best way to deal with them. Maybe a few audits of older planes coming out with new shiny MRs would be interesting but obviously not within the CASA budget:)

[Creampuff]

All of the people who pay to have their aircraft properly maintained by competent engineers are going to be penalised for the minority that don’t.

Mark my words: If there are any more cable or terminal failures, CASA will change the AWB recommendation for replacement of all cables before they reach 15 years of age into a fleet-wide AD mandating it.

[djpil]

Similar to the issue a few years ago with a Citabria elevator cable which failed after about 3,000 hrs in service. Mine are replaced very much more frequently than that and, to me, the whole cable would seem to be easily able to be inspected.

[Sunfish]

We generally replace yacht standing SS rigging after five years. I don't see why control cable replacement is such a big deal.

Furthermore, all swaged ends and SS cables look really good - right up until they aren't. Read AC43 13 1b on the subject of cable wear.

Specifically chapter 7 section 8 page 35 and 36.

[Old Akro]

The US AD lists the cost of a set of cables for a Piper at USD$608. So, its not really a big deal, although I think Sunfishes SS ones are probably (pond for pound) less than half the cost. It seems to me that we replace a cable in our Piper somewhere about every 3rd or 4th 100 hourly and barely notice it in the overall 100 hourly bill.

I understood that the Beech issue is that the cables frayed in a hard to see location. That doesn't apply to these Pipers. Remove the rear battery hatch and the floor section under the row 2 seats and you can basically see it all. It frightens me that anyone could sign off a 100 hourly without doing this.

An interesting question is if we had less regulation and parts were cheaper, would aircraft have things replaced more frequently & be cheaper? A real aging aircraft safety issue that never gets discussed is that in aviation we repair, overhaul and just plain extend the life of a whole bunch of components that anywhere else would just be replaced with new ones. We do this because our safety bodies have artificially raised the cost of these parts though regulation.