Airworthiness Directive · Amendment 39-22944 · Rudder structure
FS 2001 Corp, FS 2002 Corporation, FS 2003 Corporation, Piper, and Piper Aircraft, Inc. Airplanes
This AD applies to all airplane models specified in table 1 to paragraph (c) of this AD, certificated in any category, that are not equipped with a rudder having a rudder post made from 4130N low-alloy steel.
Note 1 to paragraph (c): Most parts manufacturer approval (PMA) rudders are equipped with a rudder post made from 4130N low-alloy steel. This can be verified by reviewing the individual PMA.
Note 2 to paragraph (c): Piper Service Bulletin 1379B, dated May 7, 2024, contains information on how to determine whether a rudder post is made from 4130N low-alloy steel. This is not the only way to determine this and this AD does not require the use of this service bulletin.
| Type certificate holder | Airplane model |
|---|---|
| FS 2001 Corp | J5A (Army L-4F), J5A-80, J5B (Army L-4G), J5C, AE-1, HE-1. |
| FS 2002 Corporation | PA-14. |
| FS 2003 Corporation | PA-12, PA-12S. |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | J3C-40, J3C-50, J3C-50S, J3C-65, J3C-65S, PA-11, PA-11S. |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | J3F-50, J3F-50S, J3F-60, J3F-60S, (Army L-4D) J3F-65, J3F-65S. |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | J3L, J3L-S, J3L-65 (ARMY L-4C), J3L-65S. |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | J4, J4A, J4A-S. |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | J4E (ARMY L-4E). |
| Piper | J4F. |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | PA-15. |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | PA-16, PA-16S. |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | PA-17. |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | PA-18, PA-18S, PA-18 “105” (Special), PA-18S “105” (Special), PA-18A, PA-18 “125” (Army L-21A), PA-18S “125”, PA-18AS “125”, PA-18 “135” (Army L-21B), PA-18A “135”, PA-18S “135”, PA-18AS “135”, PA-18 “150”, PA-18A “150”, PA-18S “150”, PA-18AS “150”, PA-19 (Army L-18C), PA-19S. |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | PA-18A (Restricted), PA-18A “135” (Restricted), PA-18A “150” (Restricted). |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | PA-20, PA-20S, PA-20 “115”, PA-20S “115”, PA-20 “135”, PA-20S “135”. |
| Piper Aircraft, Inc | PA-22, PA-22-108, PA-22-135, PA-22S-135, PA-22-150, PA-22S-150, PA-22-160, PA-22S-160. |
The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain FS 2001 Corp, FS 2002 Corporation, FS 2003 Corporation, Piper, and Piper Aircraft, Inc. (Piper) airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports of broken rudders. This AD requires replacing any rudder equipped with a rudder post made from a certain carbon steel with a rudder equipped with a rudder post made from a certain low-alloy steel. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
(1) At the applicable compliance time for the category type for your airplane specified in table 2 to paragraph (g)(1) of this AD, replace the rudder with a rudder that is equipped with a rudder post made from 4130N low-alloy steel.
| Category type | Compliance time |
|---|---|
| Category I Airplanes: Airplanes having both a rudder post mounted beacon light and a 150 or greater horsepower (hp) engine installed | Within 2 years after the effective date of this AD. |
| Category II Airplanes: Airplanes having either a rudder post mounted beacon light or a 150 or greater hp engine installed | Within 3 years after the effective date of this AD. |
| Category III Airplanes: All airplanes not in Category I or Category II that do not have a rudder post mounted beacon light and have an engine less than 150 hp and greater than 100 hp installed | Within 5 years after the effective date of this AD. |
| Category IV Airplanes: All airplanes not in Category I, II, or III that do not have a rudder post mounted beacon light and have an engine of 100 hp or below installed | Within 10 years after the effective date of this AD. |
(2) As of the effective date of this AD, do not install any rudder that is equipped with a rudder post made from 1025 carbon steel on any airplane.
The aircraft, engines and makers this AD names, by the model designations in its text. A model listed here may still be outside the AD's serial ranges.
Aircraft
