8 March 2005
Cessna has been forced to issue an embarrassing FAA Airworthiness Directive (PL2005-05-53) following quality control inspections on their production line.
The company says inadequate or incorrect flight controls rigging may exist on recently produced Cessna Models 172R, 172S, 182T, and T182T aircraft.
Normally an AD focuses on a specific part or system but this one features a range of potentially serious issues and may affect aircraft already delivered and flown.
Factory inspectors found two aircraft with ailerons not engaging the upper stops and one with a flap push/pull rod missing the nut on the bolt.
A multitude of other major problems were found on the assembly line.
The FAA warns that the affected models are prohibited from flying until all the flight control systems are inspected and any discrepancies corrected.
