The FAA has extended the comment period on an AD that would require the replacement of rudders on almost 31,000 Piper aircraft made before 1974. In a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking in October, the agency ordered every rudder equipped with a rudder post made of 1025 carbon steel be replaced with rudders that have posts made of 4130N low-alloy steel. Piper switched from 1025 to 4130N in 1974. The estimated cost of the rudder replacement is $3,000. The comment period was extended to Feb. 20, 2024.
The AD was issued in response to rudder post failures in a PA-12 and a PA-14 in Alaska in 2020 and 2021, which caused the rudders to fold over parallel to the horizontal stabilizer. In both cases, the pilots were able to land safely and the FAA determined the cause as fatigue failure. Several commenters on the AD, including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association and the Short Wing Piper Club, asked for the extension to work on their response, saying “it’s controversial and could drive substantial costs, among other things,” according to the FAA notice.
