New Blanik AD
Eric Munk
EASA has just published a new AD: EASA AD 2010-0185-E.
It grounds all Blaniks with immediate effect, including L-13, L-13A and
all aircraft that passed earlier AD inspections. Reason is that the failed
wing spar on the Austrian accident glider failed before reaching its
theoretical lifetime, and it failed due to fatigue.
Grounding is pending development of terminating action, which I imagine
will take considerable time, and expense...
Sorry to be the bearer of bad news...
Eric Munk
The Netherlands
BTiz
It will be interesting how the US FAA handles this one.
Anyone have a link to the EASA AD?
mattm
"Terminating action" ???
Is that as bad as it sounds -- have all the L13's been reduced to
permanent
lawn ornament status? At least scrap aluminum alloy is going for
around
$1/lb these days... :(
-- Matt
Stephen Thomas
The BGA have published this link:
There is an update on the BGA website;
LET L13 Blanik - Grounding Notice and September Updates
EASA have just issued AD 2010-0185-E effective 5th September 2010
issuing a Prohibition of all Flights notice. You can view the AD here
- http://ad.easa.europa.eu/blob/easa_ad_2010_0185_E.pdf/EAD_2010-0185-E_1.
Peter Scholz
vaughn
"mattm" <matt...@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:73b6248f-eb43-4796...@s9g2000yqd.googlegroups.com...
> have all the L13's been reduced to permanent lawn ornament status?
>At least scrap aluminum alloy is going for around $1/lb these days... :
Well, there's an interesting current thread about sailplane wind vanes.
(Sorry for the gallows humor. This really is a serious subject.)
Vaughn
nimbus
certification and historical papers.
And now it is grounded. I am really upset about the way LET is
conducting its business and communication about this issue.
I can't even resale it because there is nobody who want to buy it in
those days.
Just can sell it for about 300 kg of aluminium as scrap or give it to
a Air museum.
Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr
Darryl Ramm
How do you *know* it has no fatigue cracks?
That's the root issue here.
Darryl
nimbus
No cracks means no cracks..
Darryl Ramm
> We inspected every millimeter with Dye Check test inspection.
> No cracks means no cracks..
If it was that simple, there would be ADs out for dye penetrant tests.
Maybe there will be but I am guessing it may be more complex.
Somebody needs to show that a dye penetrant tests would detects cracks
at an early enough stage. And what about cracks that have not
propagated to the surface? Did you remove the fasteners/rivets and
confirm there are no cracks starting there, with more sophisticated
testing?
At this stage I'd hazard a guess you don't know what a sufficient test
is, certainly not to any inspecting/licensing authority or the
manufacturer.
Darryl
Scott
> We inspected every millimeter with Dye Check test inspection.
> No cracks means no cracks..
>
Well, the good news with that is that when they decide on a test
procedure, you shouldn't have anything to worry about unless they
mandate something like removing wing skins to inspect...
Morgans
"mattm" <matt...@gmail.com> wrote
> Grounding is pending development of terminating action, which I imagine
> will take considerable time, and expense...
"Terminating action" ???
Is that as bad as it sounds -- have all the L13's been reduced to
permanent
lawn ornament status?
*****************************************
Terminating action would be the repairing action, or replacement action that
would fix the problem, and terminate the grounding order in the order.
--
Jim in NC
Morgans
"Scott" <acepilo...@bloomer.net> wrote in message
news:3sednTfxuKZE_hjR...@bright.net...
My guess is that with a problem of this magnitude, removing the wing skins
to replace the structure or to modify the structure is exactly what is going
to be required.
If I was an enterprising manufacturer, I would be designing a new wing kit
to sell to people with these grounded gliders. I would design it to use as
many parts from the old wing as possible.
It sounds to me as if the engineers of this glider really screwed the pooch,
with this mess. No way a well designed wing should be having this serious
of a problem, IMHO.
--
Jim in NC
Frank Whiteley
> "Scott" <acepilotREM...@bloomer.net> wrote in message
IIRC, this is what they attempted to do over twenty years ago as
L-13's approached their initial life limits in the early-mids 1980's.
Return to factory for spar cap replacements. Some suspected it was a
make work attempt. Pressure was such that a 500 hour inspection
scheme was initiated in some countries. The troubling thing is that a
wing came off a 2300 hour glider in Austria. That said, the right
wing broke off an L-13 over Aspen, Colorado in August 1975 also with
two fatalities. The sketchy NTSB report cites severe turbulence at
cloud base and no fitted g-meter.
This latest EASA AD is still only suggesting that fatigue MAY be the
cause. Exceeding the flight envelope frequently is certainly another
possibility leading to wing failure or accelerated fatigue.
Frank Whiteley
nimbus
> "mattm" <matt1...@gmail.com> wrote
Yes ! at what cost??? most probably twice the price of the remaining
value of the Blanik glider.
Bruno
Morgans
"nimbus" <flying...@gmail.com> wrote
>
> Yes ! at what cost??? most probably twice the price of the remaining
> value of the Blanik glider.
I don't know the glider and the problem well enough to comment on the fix.
It may be as easy as developing a testing program, it may be reverse
engineering the fix talked about in this thread that has been performed on
other models.
All I am saying is that the terminating in the order is talking about
whatever fix has to take place to satisfy the company that the fix will make
the wing safe to fly and end the grounding order. That fix will be the
action taken on each plane that satisfies the company that each plane has
been made safe again and the order ended.
It may be that the inspection or fix is too expensive to justify. You can
bet that the company does not want any more deaths on it's head, and that
each plane will be certified safe, fixed or junked.
The terminating action is whatever repair or inspection to be made that
satisfies the company and the governing body of each country's aviation
authority that the grounding order may be safely lifted. The devil is in
the details of how the problem is resolved.
--
Jim in NC
stephanevdv
screwed the pooch,
with this mess. No way a well designed wing should be having this
serious
Given the fact that the Blanik has been in production since 1956 and
that numerous Blaniks have exceeded their normal service life of 10
000 hours without problems, I'd rather suspect something fishy about:
1) the use of this particular Blanik (only 2 300 hours total time, it
seems, but perhaps lots of 2-seat aerobatics);
or
2) a problem with the metallurgy of some parts, not conform to the
original as designed. Production methods have changed in half a
century, and there could even be differences between nominally
identical materials.
midnav
locks or other removable fastener will be put into place. I think the
inspection and repair will be expensive, and the end result will be
that our L-13s will have a higher value. I spent a few moments looking
for two seat trainer replacements, there are very few out there.
Anyone check out the Blanik America web site? Not a word said about
the grounding of the fleet. Why would anyone in there right mind
purchase a LET product after they refuse to support existing models?
Derrick Steed
Not that a wing came off any, but they did develop massive cracks
sufficient to require a redesign of the wing.
Derrick.
nimbus
Why this AD applies only on Blanik L-13 and L-13A and NOT on L-23's???
Both glider type are very very similar....
Bart
According to Wikipedia, the first flight of L-23 took place in 1998.
This makes an average L-23 much younger than an average L-13.
Also, aren't L-23s still manufactured and sold?
B.
Mike Schumann
L-13 has a conventional tail, and flaps. L-23 has T tail, no flaps.
Canopies are different. Similarities: Both made of aluminum and the
manufacturer.
--
Mike Schumann
Gilbert Smith
Does anyone still operate a Blanik in UK ??
I haven't seen one for years.
Maybe you should put struts on them, making them like all the other US
trainers ?