Technical News Sheet Issue 5-2010 Date: 02/11/2010 Airworthiness Information 1. Safety Alert – Gliders with Expanding Pin/Cone Main Pins (Mandatory) SZD Foka, Cobra, Bocian, Jaskolka, Schempp-Hirth SHK and Austria series. May be applicable to other types with expanding pin/cone type main wing pin(s) Safety alert issued to highlight the importance of following the Type Certificate holders instructions as contained in the flight manual and only using the specified tools. http://www.gliding.co.uk/bgainfo/safety/documents/safetyalert020910.pdf 2. Aircraft Industries L13 BLANIK AD 2010-0185-E (Mandatory) Prohibition of all flights http://ad.easa.europa.eu/blob/easa_ad_2010_0185_E.pdf/EAD_2010-0185-E_1 An informal Blanik email user group has been set up to share information, ideas and to keep interested partied informed of the latest developments and to help with technical matters related to the current Blanik situation. For more information and to join please contact Diana King diana@king618.co.uk 3 DG 800B Worn Spindle Drive Forward Mounting Reported by Tony Hoskins, South East Aircraft Services. (Advisory) Pilot reported vibration at full power on climb, investigation showed worn mount and bolt. Replacement cured the problem. 4 Grob Astir CS Main Wheel Reported by Steve Saunders, Fenland Gliding Club One split hub retaining bolt sheared causing damage to wheel and brake assembly. Old wheel has 3 retaining bolts the replacement has 5 retaining bolts. If changing this wheel it is recommended to install the latest version with 5 bolts. (Advisory) 1 TNS 5-2010 5 Letov LF107 LUNAK (Mandatory) Continued operation conditional on satisfying CZ-CAA General Overhaul and continued airworthiness inspection requirements in conjunction with BGA GMS. Restricted flight envelope (Aerobatic flight prohibited) currently in force. 6 Schempp-Hirth Cirrus (Advisory) Reported by Ken Fixter, North Wales Gliding Club Air brake control rod end fitting broken. Possibly caused by bending force at extreme end of travel. Ensure that any rod end (slotted or spherical) does not foul causing a bending moment. TN 265-8 also applies. 7 Schleicher ASK 13 (Advisory) Reported by Stu Hoy, Anglia Sailplanes Aileron/air brake control rod bracket at wing root cracked This is a very well known failure usually initiated by too much over centre force on the air brake lock causing the bracket to flex. 8 Schleicher ASK 13 (Advisory) Reported by Lez Saker, Mendip Gliding Club Air brake handle broke at pivot bearing after "struggle" with pupil. This is a known problem with the ASK 13 as the air brake handle made from aluminium alloy will suffer a fracture at the weakest point through repeated flexing and then break if extra force is applied. 9 SZD Std Jantar (applicable to other types) (Advisory) Reported by Roddy Maddocks, Shenington Gliding Club. Rigging incident where the tail plane was not properly locked in position. The securing bolt was not easily visible as being improperly engaged. It is recommended to paint locking pins/bolts with a bright colour (usually red) so if they are not fully engaged it is obvious. Always follow manufactures instructions. If the Flight or Maintenance Manual specifies a coloured part this is regarded as a mandatory placard. Equipment 10 Dittel FSG 2T VHF/AM Transceiver AD 2010-0186, SB FSG 2T-1.06 (Mandatory) Incorrectly installed capacitor http://ad.easa.europa.eu/blob/easa_ad_2010_0186.pdf/AD_2010-0186_1 11 OTTFUR CW300 Release Unit Reported by Stu Hoy, Anglia Sailplanes (Advisory) Operating arm fractured preventing release. Cause not known but possibly too much force being repeatedly applied to release knob. Highlights the importance of careful inspection and testing. General Information 2 TNS 5-2010 Resulting from the BGA Technical Committee review of observations and audit findings the following items were highlighted as requiring emphasising; 1 Airworthiness Directive recording. There has always been a requirement to record compliance with Airworthiness Directives, however it has been observed during BGA and CAA audits that compliance with this requirement is poor in some areas. AD's must be recorded on worksheets detailing what work was completed to satisfy the requirement, the AD numbers must be summarised in the log book entry and compliance recorded on the AD status report. Owners using the old style BGA Glider log book must also maintain a BGA AD status report (BGA 280) This will be available on the BGA web site in AMP 1-3 appendix 27 in MS Word and PDF. This AD status report must continually maintained to show the status of all AD's. Owners using the new BGA Sailplane Log Book provided the pink pages are correctly completed and maintained the requirement for an AD status report is satisfied. 2 Inspection of flying control sealing tapes and Mylar seals BGA inspection 011/12/2000 refers. Sealing tapes and Mylar seals must be inspected in accordance with the BGA inspection on an annual basis and defective seals replaced. Note: BGA Mandatory inspections are mandatory for all sailplanes operating on the BGA GMS maintenance programme irrespective if they are EASA types or Annex II. 3 Tow and winch cable guillotine tests Operators are reminded that the maintenance requirements including an annual "live" guillotine test are required to be completed. The requirement covers both winches and aerotow retractor systems. There have been recent instances where a "for real" guillotine operations failed to cut the cable. It is strongly recommended that you record all maintenance including tests for both winches and aerotow retractor systems. 4 Sailplane weighing It has been noted that some inspectors when weighing sailplanes are not factoring in the weight of non lifting parts. The vast majority of sailplanes have a maximum NLP stated and this must not be exceeded. In some cases it will mean a reduction in max seat load. Another common mistake in weighing is that the condition of the sailplane is not stated, the weighing report must state the equipment installed and, if applicable, fuel state at the time of weighing. The scale details and calibration date must also be included on the weighing report. Also remember when applying the BGA extended weight concession you calculate the extended weight for the NLP and Max weight and use the LOWER figure. The BGA extended weight concession only applies to sailplanes that were within the BGA prior to transition and a FM supplement was issued after transition. 5 BGA Compendium The BGA Compendium of Airworthiness Directives is to be regarded as an information only service for EASA sailplanes. 3 TNS 5-2010 The primary sources of Airworthiness Directives are the EASA web site AWD tool http://ad.easa.europa.eu/ State of Design Airworthiness Directives and Type Certificate holders information. We undertake to maintain the compendium as complete a document as possible but are not responsible for omissions. Items in the compendium under the title "In Service Reports" are advisory only and are there to spread the knowledge gained by BGA inspectors over many years of sailplane maintenance, these entries are not required inspections but for information and guidance only during maintenance. The Compendium remains the primary source of information for Annex II sailplanes. Compliance Statement: All mandatory inspections and modifications have been included up to the following: CAA CAP 455 Airworthiness Notices, Version September 2009 CAA CAP 747 Mandatory Requirements for Aircraft, issue: 2 amendment: 2010/05 State of Design Airworthiness Directives review date: 02 November 2010 For reference: FAA Summary of Airworthiness Directives. Bi-weekly listing 2010-22 EASA Airworthiness Directives review date: 02 November 2010 CAA CAP 476 Mandatory Aircraft Modifications and Inspections Summary issue: 287 Maintenance Programme: CAA/LAMS/A/1999. Issue 2, amendment 0 CAA/LAMP/A/2007, Issue 1, amendment 2/2008 BGA GMS, Issue 1, amendment 1 Jim Hammerton Chief Technical Officer 4