Piper Cherokee Mandatory Service Bulletin 1355

[Domenick]

Of course, this SB is considered mandatory by Piper, not the FAA, nonetheless, it would be worth a look. It refers to the control yoke tee bar assembly.

https://s3.amazonaws.com/pipercrm/Solution/20786/SB_1355.pdf

 

[Jim K]

Thank you for posting this. Considering my history with rare failures...probably better check this one out. Bet that weldment ain't cheap.

 

[Darryl Snover]

Thank you for posting this. Considering my history with rare failures...probably better check this one out. Bet that weldment ain't cheap.

Searching for the part numbers reveals virtually no availability.

 

[EdFred]

Looks like one could be fabricated easy enough.

 

[Bell206]

Searching for the part numbers reveals virtually no availability.

FYI: there are a couple other options available if one is found cracked. You could have the existing one repaired or procure a serviceable one from salvage. The downside is you couldn't sign off it off using the SB.

 

[Magman]

My thought is normal flying hours is not the concern. WIND is a more likely culprit.

Encountered an Archer and I thought the radios were sagging. The yoke chains were dragging against them. “ Further investigation revealed “ the the top of the t- bar was distorted and cracking. Not an easy fix. Logs had an entry that some control surfaces had to be replaced years earlier due to wind damage. My guess is the t-bar was ignored. It’s very seldom that you see a Cherokee with external gust locks.

A bigger concern for me is cable fittings breaking. There are pix on Piper Forum.
Posting here is above my pay grade.

 

[Palmpilot]

Searching for the part numbers reveals virtually no availability.

I'm not a mechanic, but it seems odd to call an SB mandatory without making parts available to comply with it.

 

[EdFred]

I'm not a mechanic, but it seems odd to call an SB mandatory without making parts available to comply with it.

You can keep inspecting and/or repairing to comply.

 

[Bell206]

but it seems odd to call an SB mandatory without making parts available to comply with it.

Unfortunately its not unheard of to issue bulletins without parts. After a quick check it seems there was one T-bar failure in Canada back in 2016. My guess is that it was brought to Piper's attention and being a flight safety issue went the bulletin route as most OEMs do. Piper has probably not sold too many T-bars over the years so no stock as other similar parts that typically don't fail on a regular basis. As to the mandatory, most OEMs tag bulletins if it is a flight safety issue.
https://tc.canada.ca/en/aviation/re...-civil-aviation-safety-alerts-casa-no-2016-14