PA-28's May Have Control Cable Probs Too??

[Ex FSO GRIFFO]

From AvWeb today,

Maybe Mr Beech's 'Bananas' aren't the only ones with control cable probs.....

Or, is this a 'one of'..?

"OSU Crash Plane's Control Cables Broken.

The NTSB says several of the flight control cables were broken on a Piper Cherokee that crashed, killing four people, including two high-profile college basketball coaches, in 2011. Oklahoma State University Women's Coach Kurt Budke and Assistant Coach Miranda Serna died along with pilot Olin Branstetter, 82, and his wife Paula, 79, when the Cherokee crashed in good weather near Perryville, Ark., Nov. 17, 2011. In the factual report on the accident issued last week, the NTSB said everything else on the aircraft appeared in normal operating condition but the cables were "fractured in multiple places" and that "each fracture was consistent with overload." The impact site suggested the aircraft hit with a 50- to 60-degree nose-down attitude and most of the wreckage was in a hole ten feet wide and three-and-a-half feet deep."

****e.....

[edsbar]

Griffo, there have been a number of control cable end terminal failures in a wide range of aircraft. Both the FAA and CASA have issued advise regarding this.

CASA advise in AWB 27-1 http://www.casa.gov.au/wcmswr/_assets/main/airworth/awb/27/001.pdf;

The objective of this bulletin is to urge operators and maintainers to consider replacing all control cables having terminal fittings manufactured from stainless steel SAE-AISI 303Se before reaching 15 years time in service.

FAA advise in SAIB CE-02-05R1;
http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgSAIB.nsf/0/3d2203f4e96914518625721f0052eb4d/$FILE/CE-02-05R1.pdf

In order to reduce the possibility of in-flight failure of a control cable attach fitting, we recommend that owners or operators of rotary and fixed-wing aircraft inspect the flight control cables at 100 flight hour intervals or at each annual inspection. We also recommend that you use a 5X to 10X magnifying glass during the control cable fitting inspection. If you find corrosion or pitting, you should replace the control cable attach fittings even if the manufacturer's maintenance manual does not recommend replacement of corroded fittings. We also remind you that Appendix D of Part 43 mandates that all systems, parts, components, etc. be inspected for improper installation or operation during annual and 100-hour inspections.

Further Piper Service Letters applicable are

SL 1069 All Piper Models FLIGHT CONTROL CABLE TERMINAL CORROSION INSPECTION
http://www.piper.com/Company/Publications/SL%201069.pdf

SL 1135 All Piper Models CONTROL CABLE / PULLEY INSPECTIONS
http://www.piper.com/Company/Publications/SL%201135.pdf

SL 1245A PA28 Series, 32 Series, 34 Series & 44
2000 Hour or 7 Year Stabiliser Cable and Turn-barrel Inspection for cables over 15 Years Old
http://www.piper.com/Company/Publications/SB%201245A.pdf

All Piper SB's are available free here and a free email advisory service is also available;
Piper Aircraft, Inc. - Technical Publications (http://www.piper.com/pages/Publications.cfm)

[Creampuff]

The FAA says buy a $5 magnifying glass and do a proper inspection. Cost? A few thousand dollars, across the fleet.

CASA says replace all cables that have stainless terminal fittings before 15 years ‘time in service’ (an odd use of that term…). Cost? Millions across the GA fleet.

Says it all.

GA in Australia had better get unified and competent at lobbying, very soon, because that multi-million dollar AD has already been drafted.

[tnuc]

If the one of the first visable signs of a problem caused by chloride stress corosion is the failure of the terminal how do we inspect them ?

[Typhoon650]

I've never liked the one piece terminal/swage fitting on wire. In the marine industry they are known for failure due to work hardening/corrosion and there is no way to measure for any creep out of the swage, you have to rely on correct clamping pressure when assembling them.
Interestingly, marine riggers reccommend replacement of stainless steel rigging at 10 years and many insurance companies won't insure a mast and rigging if it's over that age.
Give me the good old swage and thimble end any day, simple to do in situ with adequate room, easy to visually check for creep and very, very hard to incorrectly manufacture.

[Creampuff]

Aircraft owners are free to replace their cables as frequently as they like.

tnuc - If indeed it is not possible to detect, during a thorough inspection aided by a magnifying glass, evidence of chloride stress corrosion in a terminal that may fail as a consequence of that corrosion before the next periodic inspection, there is only one logical option.

There are many $$ and lives balanced on that “if”.