TIL the FAA's new AD on the Cessna 172R flap actuator seems like overkill

I was at the Sun 'n Fun fly-in in Lakeland last week and got a look at the new service bulletin... everyone was talking about it like it was a must-do right now. I read the actual inspection criteria and it's for a specific batch of actuators with under 500 hours, but the chatter made it sound like every single one was grounded. Has anyone else actually had a failure, or is this just causing unnecessary panic and downtime?

3 comments

3 Comments

jamie7941mo ago

Honestly, why wait for a failure when the inspection is so clear? That specific batch has a known issue and @lily110 is right, the rumor mill is strong, but maybe it's better to be safe than sorry. If the FAA put out an AD, they probably have a good reason based on some data we haven't seen. Grounding a few planes for a check beats the alternative of a flap problem in the air, even if it feels like overkill right now.

bailey.susan2mo ago

Yeah, that rumor mill can turn a simple check into a full blown crisis.

lily1102mo ago

That Sun 'n Fun rumor mill is a powerful inspection tool.