The FAA has issued an Airworthiness Concern Sheet (ACS) following up on a 1995 Airworthiness Directive involving fuselage cracks in “numerous models” of Twin Commander aircraft. (AD) 95-13-02 required inspections of the empennage at the Fuselage Section (FS) 409 frame and adjacent stabilizer exterior skin to “prevent failure” of the airframe.

The FAA had issued a Service Letter 345 to install inspection panels that provide limited visual access to the critical areas (including FS 386 and FS 429). But “other areas require more extensive work to gain access,” according to the FAA statement.

The new ACS is intended to not only inform owners, operators, and maintenance organizations of the risk, but also to elicit feedback on potential further safety concerns.

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