The US Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA) is urging the US Federal Aviation Administration to scrap part of a proposed airworthiness directive (AD) on Lycoming engine crankshafts, which it says would “have significant economic impact” on its owners and does nothing to increase safety, writes Kate Sarsfield.
The notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) would require owners of about 3,800 engines ranging from the O-360 to IO-720 series to replace the crankshafts at either the next scheduled overhaul, the next time the case is split, or at 12 years since date of manufacture or overhaul, regardless of the number of hours on the crank.
AOPA says: “Say you’ve put 500h on your aircraft engine and Lycoming crankshaft over the past 12 years. That’s far short of the typical 2,000h time between overhaul. But if the FAA implements its latest proposed AD, you could have to tear down a perfectly running engine to replace a functional, low-time crankshaft.”
In a letter to the FAA, AOPA’s director of regulatory and certification policy Luis Gutierrez says: “The FAA’s proposal is unwarranted and an unacceptable expense to owners. The agency readily admits in the proposed AD that the unsafe condition is unrelated to calendar time and that the crank removal at overhaul is sufficient to reduce the risk of failure to an acceptable level.”
Lycoming says it will charge only $2,000 for the replacement kit if aircraft owners opt to replace the crankshaft before 21 February 2009. After that date, the kits will return to their original price of $16,000.
AOPA has, however, asked Lycoming to offer the kits at $2,000, regardless of when they are purchased.
Source: Flight International
