A new Airworthiness Directive (AD) for the American Champion Aircraft (ACA) 8KCAB Super Decathlon, effective immediately, will require inspection of the aileron hinge rib and support in accordance with ACA’s Feb. 17 service letter. The service letter and this AD were prompted by an incident in which a Super Decathlon with aileron hinge rib cracks experienced partial binding of the ailerons in flight.
Operators may fly the aircraft for up to 10 hours prior to inspection, but aerobatic flight is prohibited (and the aircraft must be placarded accordingly) until the inspection can be completed. The FAA estimates that the installation of the “no aerobatics” placard and the required inspections will require only two hours of labor. The inspection requires removal of the wingtip and cutting four access holes in the wing skin fabric to gain access to the relevant parts.
