Aileron hinge bracket - replacement interval?

[Alan South]

My PA-30B has had kit 760 914 fitted which is a replacement outboard aileron hinge bracket in accordance with Service Letter 787 and which eliminates the repetitive AD 77-08-01.

Anyway, my maintenance firm has taken a close look at a Part 43 maintenance schedule published by Piper and attached here for reference. If you look at section F, item 5, on page 3, it indicates that the kit is to be fitted every 1000hrs.

This contradicts what is said in SL 787. It also doesn't make common sense, as the aileron spar is the component for inspection in AD 77-08-01, not the hinge bracket. Changing the hinge bracket would not have any benefit to the stressed component in question.

Has anyone else come across this contradiction? Please correct me if I'm wrong on anything here.

Thanks in advance

Alan South
G-ATSZ
Cambridge UK

[Kristin Winter]

My thoughts:

1. I am so glad that I don't have to deal with EU maintenance.
2. Steel does not fatigue if the loads are kept low enough.
3. The loads cannot be high in that application.
4. Replacing the bracket is likely to do more damage than leaving it alone.
5. The inspection checklist is merely advisory.
6. Good luck finding a new bracket.

[Alan South]

Kristin - thanks for your thoughts.

Can you direct me to any reference to support your point number 5? It would be very useful to me to put an end to this.

Regards

Alan

[Kristin Winter]

To be an airworthiness limitation it must be in the limitations section of the maintenance manual or an airworthiness directive. I am not sure that I can point to a reference without doing some legal research. I have heard this repeatedly at the seminars that I attend to renew my inspection authorization.

[9089P]

Hi Alan,

This is just a quick stab at this but this from the FAR's might help;

"Sec. 43.16 — Airworthiness limitations.
Each person performing an inspection or other maintenance specified in an Airworthiness Limitations section of a manufacturer's maintenance manual or Instructions for Continued Airworthiness shall perform the inspection or other maintenance in accordance with that section, or in accordance with operations specifications approved by the Administrator under part 121 or 135, or an inspection program approved under §91.409(e)."(emphasis added)

[71 FR 44188, Aug. 4, 2006]

The word shall is mandatory, therefore the inspection and maintenance must be performed in accordance with the manual or AD only. To follow some other source is at best optional but more likely in violation of this section of the FAR.

Good luck, Don

[Alan South]

Don, Kristin

Thank you for the useful pointers, which I think will do the job. As you may be aware, we are in a period of transition here in Europe from having individual national aviation authorities to one single European authority. This means all sorts of anomalies come up that need to get sorted like this one.

Best regards

Alan