Aircraft
Certification Service Washington, DC U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration
CE-09-17
March 10, 2009
This is information only. Recommendations
aren’t mandatory.
Introduction
This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) alerts you,
owners, or operators, of all serial numbers of Piper Aircraft, Inc.
(Piper) PA-28 series airplanes of an airworthiness concern and the
potential for environmental deterioration of the fuel inlet and fuel
vent lines installed internal to the wings. Leakage of fuel or vapor
from these lines may result in fuel odors noted during preflight
inspections, fuel odors in the aircraft cabin, or evidence of fuel
staining on the lower surfaces of the wing.
At this time, this airworthiness concern is not an unsafe condition
that would warrant AD action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal
Aviation Regulations (14CFR) part 39.
Background
The Piper maintenance manuals applicable to the Piper PA-28 series
aircraft recommend that the fuel supply and vent hoses are to be
replaced at 8 calendar years or 1,000 hours time-inservice intervals.
On August 15, 1997, Piper issued Service Bulletin 1006 applicable to
these models to recommend the removal of the wing fuel tanks such that
the main spars could be inspected for corrosion at seven-year
intervals. Based upon the magnitude of work required to remove the fuel
tanks for this inspection, Piper also recommended that fuel supply and
vent lines be replaced during the conduct of this seven-year recurrent
inspection in that they were readily available with the fuel tanks
removed. A review of service difficulty reports (SDRs) relative to fuel
supply and vent hose leaks indicates that multiple yearly events were
recorded up until the release of the noted service bulletin. Though the
rate at which we receive SDRs has dropped since the release of the
bulletin, we continue to receive sporadic reports of fuel leakage
events associated with these hoses. Though the number of reports has
declined, the severity of deterioration that has been reported appears
to be increasing. In many cases that have been investigated, there is
no evidence that the fuel hoses have ever been inspected or replaced
since the original installation at Piper. This lack of
inspection/replacement may relate to the limited access provisions
provided to the interior wing areas of this series of aircraft.
Recommendations
The purpose of this SAIB is to highlight the potential of fuel or
fuel vapor leakage from aging fuel vent and supply hoses internal to
the wings of PA-28 series aircraft. As a preventative measure, the FAA
recommends replacement of the fuel vent and supply lines when other
maintenance actions necessitate access to the internal areas and the
hoses are near their eight-year recommended replacement interval.
Additionally, we recommend inspection of the fuel vent and supply hoses
condition any time that a fuel odor is detected in the vicinity of the
wings during a preflight, a fuel odor is detected in the aircraft
cabin, or if fuel staining is noted on the lower wing surfaces.
For Further Information Contact
Kevin Brane, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Central Region, Atlanta
Aircraft Certification Office, One Crown Center, 1895 Phoenix
Boulevard, Suite 450, Atlanta, GA 30349; phone (770)-703-6063; fax
(770) 703-6097; email: kevin.brane@faa.gov or Darby Mirocha, Aerospace
Engineer, FAA, Central Region, Atlanta Aircraft Certification Office,
One Crown Center, 1895 Phoenix Boulevard, Suite 450, Atlanta, GA 30349;
phone (770)-703-6095; fax (770) 703-6097; email: darby.mirocha@faa.gov.