26 February 2005
The FAA has issued an emergency airworthiness directive that requires more frequent inspections for wing-spar cracks on twin Cessna 402C and 414A models that have not already been modified with spar straps.
The FAA warn that undetected cracks could result in the loss of a wing in flight.
The Emergency AD follows two recent incidents of cracked spars in Cessna 402C aircraft.
Each had logged more than 20,000 flying hours.
In one case cracks were found in the wing spar of a 402C flown by a commuter airline in February after the pilot reported that a 45-degree yoke deflection was required to keep the airplane level.
Fatigue analysis shows that similar fatigue cracks could also develop in the wings of the Model 414A
http://www.cessna.org/public/ads/ad20050551.pdf
