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Safety Concerns Ground Beechcraft Airplanes in Australia

Bonanza, Debonair and Baron are affected by directive.

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) of Australia has issued an airworthiness directive temporarily grounding all Beechcraft Bonanza, Debonair and Baron models after aircraft inspections revealed damaged flight control cables.

CASA has ordered the repair of any damaged cables before further flight, and has directed operators to replace any cables in use for more than 15 years. The directive, which affects 370 airplanes, allows for a single flight with no passengers if an aircraft must be relocated for inspection.

The action was triggered by an engineer’s discovery of a broken forward elevator cable in a Bonanza last month after the pilot of the aircraft felt something amiss in the controls during a pre-flight check. When the engineer inspected another Bonanza at the airfield, located in the town of Echuca, he found the aircraft’s elevator cable was also badly frayed. Both models were produced in the 1960s.

New Zealand’s Civil Aviation Authority followed upon on CASA’s move with a similar directive aimed at Bonanza, Debonair and Baron aircraft. The directive affects 12 aircraft in the country.

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