Can Colgan MEL it?

[Hung Start]

WASHINGTON, Sept 1 (Reuters) - The Federal Aviation Administration on Friday ordered emergency inspections of some of Raytheon Co.'s (RTN.N: Quote, Profile, Research) Beechcraft commuter airplanes for possible wing cracks.
The visual inspections of wing spars were ordered for Beechcraft models 1900, 1900C and 1900D before the aircraft can resume flying, the FAA said. The plane can carry up to 19 passengers and about 250 of them are in use, mostly by regional commuter airlines such as Air Midwest, Central Mountain Air and Great Lakes Aviation.
The FAA said it was informed of cracks found in the wings of two Beechcraft 1900 airplanes during routine maintenance. Such cracks are an unsafe condition that could lead to "the wing separating from the airplane with consequent loss of control," the agency said.
The FAA said it would use data collected during the emergency inspections to determine what additional actions may be needed.


The Beechcraft 1900 series, a propeller aircraft introduced in the 1980s, is being phased out by some airlines in favor of jet-powered planes.
On Jan. 8, 2003, a Beechcraft 1900 crashed in Charlotte, North Carolina, due to a problem with an elevator control system, killing both pilots and all 19 passengers.

 

[kansas]

Luckily, it looks like it won't take much to comply with the AD. See the article below:

http://www.airweb.faa.gov/Regulator...604DD8020CB58DD7862571DB0054ED75?OpenDocument

 

[Capn Lucky]

The good news is that this will probably save a few lives. Those things take alot of abuse.

 

[saab fixr]

Did they ever fix those damm cracking engine trusses?? Long live MURPH!!! remember 811BE

 

[~~~^~~~]

Amazing, just amazing.

A T34 with 25% more horsepower than stock, used in mock dogfits every day, with damage history, has a wing come off and the FAA goes along with Raytheon to ground, then severely restrict all T-34's to the point of making the airplane a glass canopied C172 with an onerous inspection requirement. Concomitantly they go after Bonanzas and Barons with cosmetic cracks where the spar carry through structure joins the fuselage (not in the spar mind you). But, a Beech 1900 in commercial service has a serious spar crack and Raytheon says sure, fine, fix it and the FAA goes along?

If that was a T34, a Baron, or Bonanza, Raytheon would be screaming to cut up the entire fleet (unless it could be documented the aircraft's owner had spent more than $100,000 with Raytheon in the previous 6 months, then a waiver could be issued)

Things that make you go - huh?