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Airworthiness Directive 98-05-04

recurring
Official AD 98-05-04 · FR doc 98-5198 · 1998-03-03 · airframe

Airworthiness Directives; American Champion Aircraft Corp. Model 8GCBC Airplanes

What this AD requires

This amendment supersedes Airworthiness Directive (AD) 87-18- 09, which currently requires inspecting (one-time) the sides of the front and rear wood spars for compression cracks on certain American Champion Aircraft Corp. (ACAC) Model 8GCBC airplanes, and repairing or replacing any wood spar with compression cracks. This AD requires repetitively inspecting the front and rear wood spars for damage, including installing any necessary inspection holes; and repairing or replacing any damaged wood spar. Damage is defined as cracks; compression cracks; longitudinal cracks through the bolt holes or nail holes; or loose or missing nails. This AD results from in-flight wing structural failure on one of the affected airplanes that was in compliance with the one-time inspection requirement of AD 87-18-09, plus 4 other ACAC Model 8GCBC accidents and 11 service difficulty reports (SDR's) of compression cracked spars. The actions specified by this AD are intended to detect compression cracks and other damage in the wood spar wing, which, if not corrected, could eventually result in in-flight structural failure of the wing with consequent loss of the airplane.

Repetitive inspection. Re-inspect every 3 months. The next-due date/hours depend on this aircraft’s time in service — a records report computes it from the logbooks.

Which aircraft AD 98-05-04 applies to

MakesAmerican Champion Aircraft Corporation

Specific model not stated in provided applicability text. Within next 3 calendar months after effective date: install inspection holes in top/bottom wing surfaces per ACAC Service Letter 417 Rev B (Feb 10, 1998) (no further action needed if holes already installed per SL 417 Rev A or original); inspect front/rear wood wing spars for cracks, compression cracks, longitudinal cracks through bolt/nail holes, and loose/missing nails per ACAC Service Letter 406 (March 28, 1994); if damage found, repair/replace per AC 43-13-1A or FAA-approved data prior to further flight (reinstalling inspection provisions if wing is recovered); install inspection hole covers/fabric patches per SL 417 Rev B. Repeat the inspection/repair/cover-installation cycle every 12 calendar months or 500 hours TIS thereafter, whichever first. Affected airplanes are not certificated for aerobatic maneuvers (per prior AD 87-18-09 placard requirement). Prevents in-flight wing structural failure from undetected wood spar damage.

Whether AD 98-05-04 actually applies to your aircraft (by serial and installed parts) and whether it’s already complied with comes from that aircraft’s records.

How AD compliance is recorded

A valid compliance record (14 CFR 43.9) states:

Method of compliance — The specific action taken (inspected, replaced, modified) and to what revision.
Date — When the work was done.
Aircraft time — Total time in service / tach at compliance — how recurring next-due is computed.
Signature & certificate — The A&P/IA who returned it to service, with certificate number.
Is AD 98-05-04 complied with on your aircraft?

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.