The National Transportation Safety Board on Wednesday recommended that the FAA issue an Airworthiness Directive requiring Cessna 150s and 152s owners to comply with Cessna Service Bulletin No. SEB01-1 specifying a one-time inspection of the airplanes’ rudder bumpers. If mandated, the check would need to be done at the next 100-hour or annual inspection to verify that the rudder bumpers are correctly installed on the rudder horn assembly. The Safety Board’s recommendation stems from an April 11, 2005, crash of a Cessna 152 (N24779) in a field near Williamsburg, Ohio, after the rudder jammed during spin recovery training, killing the flight instructor and student pilot. According to the Safety Board, examination of the wreckage revealed that the rudder was jammed approximately 35 degrees, which is beyond its left travel limit. Further examination revealed that the two rudder bumpers had been installed inverted and that the right rudder bumper had traveled beyond the rudder stop and had locked behind it, the NTSB said. NTSB investigators could not determine whether the incorrect installation of the rudder bumpers occurred at the time of production or during the airplanes maintenance history, prompting the Safety Board to ask the FAA to issue the AD.
NTSB Asks For Cessna 150/152 Rudder AD
Key Takeaways:
- The NTSB recommended that the FAA issue an Airworthiness Directive (AD) for Cessna 150 and 152 aircraft.
- This AD would mandate a one-time inspection of the rudder bumpers to ensure they are correctly installed.
- The recommendation follows a fatal 2005 crash where a rudder jammed due to inverted and improperly installed rudder bumpers, causing a loss of control.
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