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Old 10th Jul 2002, 17:51
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Aerobatic Flyer
 
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I agree that the Robin is lovely to fly, and I'd choose it over the Warrior any time. However, the comment by Guy Pellisier quoted by Hairyplane that:

Since their inception the DR400's have flown more than 10 million hours without any inflight failure attributable to defective structure (source - Guy Pellisier, MD of APEX Aircraft)
perhaps isn't quite as clear as it could be. The French investigation into a fatal accident caused when the right wing broke off a DR400-180 stated that the cause was defective gluing of the main spar. Three French ADs have subsequently been issued, and the aircraft is limited to Normal rather than Utility category operations.

The accident report does not apportion blame or responsibility for the accident - merely sets out the facts.

Apex aircraft have subsequently demonstrated that a new wing spar, deliberately made with imperfect gluing, is capable of withstanding load factors well in excess of the statutory requirements. As you can imagine the whole issue is the source of a lot of heated debate in France where the DR400 is by far the most common flying club plane.

They're lovely to fly though. Just make sure that the maintenance is up to date, and don't be tempted to try a loop!
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