FAA Publishes Final AD on High-Wing Cessna Inspection

Certain Cessna 172s are part of an AD requiring inspections at the strut attach fitting near the forward cabin doorpost. Julie Boatman

The FAA published its final AD on inspections for a long series of single-engine Textron Aviation (Cessna) aircraft. The airworthiness directive goes into effect on November 12, 2020. The AD was prompted by cracks found in the lower area of the forward cabin doorpost bulkhead, and it requires repeated inspections of the lower area of the forward cabin doorposts at the strut attach fitting for cracks, and the repairing of any cracks. The FAA has issued this AD to address an unsafe condition it has found on certain models. The original notice of proposed rulemaking on the AD was published in February 2018, with a supplemental NPRM published on May 29, 2020.

According to the text of the AD: “The NPRM was prompted by reports of cracks in the lower area of the forward cabin doorpost bulkhead on more than four dozen Textron 100 and 200 airplanes. The NPRM proposed to require repetitively inspecting the lower area of the forward cabin doorposts at the strut attach fitting for cracks and repairing any cracks found by modifying the area with the applicable service kit. The SNPRM proposed to modify the estimated costs of the proposed AD, the repetitive inspection intervals, and the credit allowed for previous actions; clarify the inspection instructions for airplanes with the service kit installed; correct the contact information for obtaining the service information; and add a reporting requirement to collect the inspection results. The SNPRM also changed some of the model designations listed in the applicability in order to match the models as they are listed in the type certificate data sheet.”

The list of affected models includes the following: Cessna 172N, 172P, 172Q, 172RG, F172N, F172P, FR172K, R172K, 182E, 182F, 182G, 182H, 182J, 182K, 182L, 182M, 182N, 182P, 182Q, 182R, T182, F182P, F182Q, FR182, R182, TR182, 206, P206, P206A, P206B, P206C, P206D, P206E, TP206A, TP206B, TP206C, TP206D, TP206E, U206, U206A, U206B, U206C, U206D, U206E, U206F, U206G, TU206A, TU206B, TU206C, TU206D, TU206E, TU206F, TU206G, 207, 207A, T207, T207A, 210-5 (205), 210-5A (205A), 210B, 210C, 210D, 210E, 210F, and T210F.

Based in Maryland, Julie is an editor, aviation educator, and author. She holds an airline transport pilot certificate with Douglas DC-3 and CE510 (Citation Mustang) type ratings. She's a CFI/CFII since 1993, specializing in advanced aircraft and flight instructor development. Follow Julie on Twitter @julieinthesky.

Sign-up for newsletters & special offers!

Get the latest FLYING stories & special offers delivered directly to your inbox