As Twin Commander Aircraft has become aware of reports of cracking in locations previously addressed by Service Bulletin 218, an effort has begun to remedy the situation that preserves the integrity of the fleet. Discussions involving the Twin Commander Factory Service Center network, operators, the factory, the FAA, and outside engineering firms are centered around solving the issue in the most efficient and least disruptive way possible.
SB 218 requires inspection and possible reinforcement of the tail structure of most serial numbers of turbine-powered Commanders. Now in its second revision, the bulletin has been in place since 1994, and has been a mainstay of the fleet for many years. A few years ago the factory became aware of cracking on some airplanes in areas that had already complied with SB 218, and additionally at fuselage station 386, which the current revision of the bulletin doesn’t address. As a result, it became clear an amendment to the bulletin was necessary. Additional cracks recently found renewed interest in properly identifying the problem and working to come up with a complete solution.
In response to questions from operators, and companies within the Twin Commander Factory Authorized Service Center network, the factory has released the following statement:
As many folks have seen, a draft copy of the new revision 3 of Service Bulletin 218 has circulated, indicating that Twin Commander is now actively trying to resolve the outstanding actions surrounding the inspections on FS386, FS409 and FS429 frames, relating to the specific aircraft models affected. The FAA has been requesting Twin to address the FS386 cracking, and some elements of the Rev 2 bulletin. The current version of the Rev 3 bulletin is very different to the earlier circulated draft version. Twin is currently working with a few service facilities and an engineering repair company to accommodate access issues, and define inspection techniques and repair solutions. Until we obtain all of the relevant information, Twin Commander will not release the bulletin to the field, due to the complexity of the task. Seasonal operations are at the forefront of Twin Commanders schedule with regard to planned release dates. We very much appreciate everyone’s input so far, but bear with us as we work through the issues. Our goal is to make this inspection criteria as clear as possible to the field, and eliminate unwanted unnecessary rework.
Moving forward, Value Stream Manager Bob Wilson insists that the experts at the Twin Commander Factory Authorized Service Centers will be an integral part of any revision process of the bulletin. “Nothing will be released until we discuss it with the service centers,” he said. “We’re not going to put anything out that hurts the service centers, the operators, or grounds the airplanes. We need to be careful about what we put in it. They’ll be part of the process.”
According to Wilson, nothing will be finalized until at least this fall.
