Airworthiness Directive 97-33512
recurringAirworthiness Directives; Aviat Aircraft Inc. Models S-2A, S-2B, and S-2S Airplanes (formerly Pitts Models S-2A, S-2B, and S-2S airplanes)
What this AD requires
This amendment supersedes Airworthiness Directive AD 96-09-08 R1, which applies to Aviat Aircraft Inc. (Aviat) Models S-2A, S-2B, and S-2S airplanes (formerly Pitts Models S-2A, S-2B, and S-2S), and currently requires repetitively inspecting the upper longerons just aft of the rear cabane struts for cracks and repairing any cracks. This action retains the same actions as the current AD; lengthens the time interval between repetitive inspections; requires either installing a marked accelerometer in order to continue to perform acrobatic maneuvers and installing a placard that specifies gravity (``g'') force limitations, or installing a placard prohibiting acrobatic maneuvers; and, requires inserting revisions into the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM). This action is the result of reports of cracking in the upper longerons caused by operating the airplane outside of the certificated design limits and the availability of a design modification that, when incorporated, repairs the damaged upper longeron area. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent cracking and subsequent failure of the longerons with consequent loss of control of the airplane.
Which aircraft AD 97-33512 applies to
Text is the standard modified/altered/repaired boilerplate; the actual model/serial applicability list is in the preceding applicability provision, not present in this excerpt. Action concerns longeron cracking per Aviat Service Bulletin No. 24, remedied by Aviat Kit No. S-2-513 and a placard/accelerometer (Aviat part number 2-7604-47) or acrobatic-maneuvers-prohibited placard.
Whether AD 97-33512 actually applies to your aircraft (by serial and installed parts) and whether it’s already complied with comes from that aircraft’s records.
Supersession
Supersedes AD 96-09-08.
How AD compliance is recorded
A valid compliance record (14 CFR 43.9) states:
Tailplate reads a tail number’s logbooks and matches every applicable AD — including this one — to its compliance evidence, with recurring next-due dates computed.
Look up a tail number →Read the full directive (Federal Register)Applicability is derived from the FAA directive corpus and is advisory, not a legal airworthiness determination. Compliance is established only from an aircraft’s actual records.