Cessna Aircraft has issued a mandatory service bulletin ordering inspections and an upgrade to eliminate cracked lower firewalls on some new 182S Skylanes.
Cessna's work order for the Skylanes follows a similar order this year which affected all 172R Skyhawks and 172S Skyhawk SPs. More than 1,400 aircraft are believed to be affected. Only 206 Stationairs are exempt.
The Wichita, Kansas-based manufacturer has incorporated a "fix" into the production line and expects the service bulletins to lead to the elimination of the problem.
For the two Skyhawk models, Cessna has designed doublers that must be fixed to the firewall beneath the six lower cowling mounts - the area where the cracks have been found.
The service order for the Skylane requires modification of firewall doublers already built into the aircraft and the installation of two shock mounts for the lower cowling.
Although Cessna engineers cannot confirm how the cracks occurred, the installation of Textron Lycoming IO-540-AB1A1s on the two models, which are larger and heavier than the lighter variants used on their single-engined predecessors, is thought to be a contributory factor.
Source: Flight International
