Photo courtesy Byerly Aviation The FAA in November 2023 issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin on a number of Twin Commander models to “alert owners, operators, and maintenance personnel of a potential fractured clevis mounting boss on the main landing gear strut.”
SAIB 2023-14 came in response to a Shrike that landed with a main gear that hadn’t locked in the fully down position. The gear separated from the actuating cylinder due to a fractured clevis mounting boss on the main gear strut, which didn’t allow the gear to fully extend and lock.
The FAA said it doesn’t expect further action as a result of the bulletin, and that the issue won’t result in an airworthiness directive. Instead, the bulletin requests that operators, mechanics, and pilots inspect the main landing gear assemblies on their aircraft and report the results to Twin Commander Aircraft in accordance with Twin Commander Aircraft Service Letter 376.
The affected models are the 500A, 500B, 500S, 500U, 560-F, 680F, 680F(P), 680FL, 680FL(P), 680T, 680V, 680W, 681, 685, 690, 690A, 690B, 690C, 690D, 695, 695A, and 695B. The SAIB is on the FAA’s website.
