My understanding is that the proposed modifications will be phased in
over a period of time - eg: within the next ten hours (operating time).
The million dollar question is how long it will take to manufacture the
requisite parts. If memory serves me correctly Europa replaced the front
pins for a longer version and this only took a matter of weeks to
implement. A competent engineering outfit could knock out a couple of
hunderd of these within a day.
My initial observation on the proposed wing modification is why the work
access hole has to be made through the wing surface and not through the
wing root rib. Admittedly it wont be quite as easy to tighten the
locking nut but not in my view impossible. The access hole could be
repaired with as many plies of bid as required (and more) without
affecting the external appearance or requiring a repaint job.
Hopefully the PFA will hold fire on making the proposed mods mandatory
till such time as the necessary parts become availabe.
After all many Europas have flown safely for many hours. This tragic
incident has simply highlighted some design points which could do with
improvement.
I personally believe that the current regime of checks should be
sufficient to ensure we all fly safely till such time as the proposed
mods can be implemented.
Carl Pattinson
G-LABS
----- Original Message -----
From: David.Corbett
To: Europa Forum
Sent: Friday, July 06, 2007 10:18 P
Subject: Europa-List: UK PFA news - Europa safety mods
Wearing my UK PFA Executive Committee and Europa Club committee hats,
I asked Francis Donaldson (PFA Chief Engineer, for those of you overseas
who do not know) earlier this week if he could release a progress report
on the proposed Europa factory/PFA modifications to be incorporated in
UK Europae following the tragic accident to G-HOFC. You will see
Francis's reply below.
However, before you read it, I must ask you all to consider some other
factors which Francis passed to me in a second e-mail, and confirmed by
voicemail whilst I was at a funeral this afternoon.
1 We are all aware that UK AAIB are shortly to issue a Special
Bulletin about the G-HOFC accident. Francis tells me that this Bulletin
is not expected to give any firm conclusion about the accident -
investigations are still ongoing into the very complex factors involved
- and the Bulletin will basically only draw attention to the Flight
Safety Bulletins issued by the PFA (see next paragraph). If the AAIB
Bulletin reports as normal "Special's" do, I hope that we will at least
be told publicly the scale of the damage/destruction that occurred to
G-HOFC, even if no conclusions can yet be given.
2 Some Europae, like mine, have passed the inspections required
by UK Europa Flight Safety Bulletins 006 and 007, but are grounded
because the tailplane pip pin recesses have not been built to the
dimensions in the build manual - in many cases, the dimensions are
smaller, especially around the joint between the recess and the upper
skin. Owners such as myself are obviously frustrated that we cannot fly
but, quite understandably, Francis asks that those of us in a similar
position to mine wait for the tailplane pip pin mod to come out, and do
not chase PFA Engineering for individual special attention. As we can
all appreciate, PFA Engineering have been severely overloaded by the
investigations, and the resulting mod design work involved, that arises
---From this accident, and other PFA aircraft types are suffering as a
result of these pressures on PFA Engineering. This situation has not
been helped by the sad loss, to a job in Australia, of our recent and
excellent recruit to the engineering team, Kerry Ashcroft; so PFA are
short of an engineer again.
3 The proposed mods (outlined below) are currently with Europa
(2004) Ltd being formatted. There will, of course, be a lead time on the
supply of some mod kit parts - especially the longer wing rear pins
required for Classic aircraft. I will have a discussion with Roger or
John early next week to see whether they are yet prepared to go public
as to the timescale for issuing the mod kits.
4 The tailplane mod will only require normal composite
materials - BID and epoxy (the mod will specify readily available
epoxies); Andy Draper has done a trial tailplane mod - to "ready for
cosmetic finish" - in one working day.
5 For those in the UK West Midland/Wales area, Adrian Lloyd, my
PFA inspector, and I are proposing to run a joint operation here at
Shobdon for several local owners to get the tailplane pip pin access
mods all done together. If you are interested in joining this team
effort, please contact me off list. david.corbett5@btinternet.com
(put "Europa mod" in subject box, please)
Finally, I would like to express our Europa community's thank to
Francis and his team, and Roger and John at the factory, for the
enormous amount of work that they have had to put into our situation
following the sad accident.
As one of our committee members has said to me this evening - "Fly
safely" - but of course I can't, at least in my Europa!
David
UK 265 G-BZAM
-------------------------------------------------------------------------
-----
From: Francis Donaldson [mailto:francis.donaldson@pfa.org.uk]
Sent: 06 July 2007 16:25
To: David.Corbett
Cc: Brian Hope
Subject: RE: Europa update
Dear David
Following the tragic accident with G-HOFC, in conjunction with Europa
Aircraft we have carried out a safety study for the Europa rear wing
attachment and tailplane system as a whole and this has resulted in
various modifications being planned. These do not necessarily reflect
the actual course of events in the structural failure of G-HOFC, which
is still under investigation.
The modifications which are currently being compiled achieve the
following:
1.. On Classics only, check centrality of rear wing pins in
hard-point, fit new rear wing pins with longer threaded portion and fit
washer and nut on the inside, behind the existing hard-point. This
involves making a recess in the bottom skin locally for access,
refilling with foam piece afterwards and patching skin locally.
2.. On Classics and XS, ovalise the pip pin holes in the ends of
the tailplane torque tube to prevent the pip-pin picking up actuating
torque loads. Add an extra pip-pin recess of an improved design to each
tail undersurface which will provide a reliable secondary retention
system to prevent the tailplane half moving outboard if the sleeve
should become disbonded. In the process of forming the new pip-pin
recesses, key the sleeves into the structure to help prevent them
becoming disbonded. Pip-pin will still enter tailplane from above.
Recess in bottom surface can be filled afterwards for cosmetic purposes
leaving tailplane looking as previously. Alternatively, the Europa club
mod for improved sleeve retention can be incorporated at build.
3.. On Classics and XS, add placards to the tailplanes adjacent to
the pip-pin holes calling attention to the need to check presence of
pip-pins and engagement of
anti-balance tab pins before flight.
The modifications will provide full details and, where needed,
modified parts.
Due to the amount of interest expressed by owners in the use of
Loctite to prevent slop in the torque tube pinned joints, Europa
Aircraft are also experimenting with the use of Loctite to see if this
seems a viable proposition. Alternatively, we are also looking into the
possibility of adding hidden stops to the tailplanes to contact
simultaneously with the mass-balance meeting its stops. These are
intended to prevent the torque tube and its pinned joints experiencing
shock loads when the mass balance hits its stops, and so avoid
enlargement of the torque tube pin holes causing slop in the mass
balance arm and slop between the two tailplane halves.
Best regards
Francis Donaldson
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