Van's has published RV-14A Service Bulletin SB-00027, which describes a change to be made to the exiting nose gear leg assembly as well as the addition of either a new washer or replacement cap part. Please refer to the service bulletin document for the details.
Data from an incident in the field shows that under certain circumstances the RV-14A nose gear leg, if it was to fail due to extreme overload, could fail in such a way that the mechanism would strike the fitting/hose on the fuel pump attached to the engine, potentially breaking the fitting and/or hose, increasing the risk of a fire.
Van's has designed a modification to the existing nose gear leg weldment (removal of a small amount of material for clearance). The steps to complete that modification are described in the service bulletin document.
In addition, Van’s has released a new replacement washer, which modifies the loads spread across the nose gear cap in an extreme overload scenario. As an alternative to the washer, one can choose to replace the existing cap with a new version of the part. Either of these changes (new washer or new cap) will result in the same outcome: In the event of a complete gear leg failure, the nose gear attach point will break lower, at the threads rather than at the top cap. This lower breaking point results in a motion path in which the fuel pump fitting/hose would not be struck by the top of the rotating gear leg.
The new washers are available from Van's at no charge (including free shipping), or the updated version of the cap can be purchased if desired. Again, either part results in the same design outcome. It is only necessary to use either a) the new washer in combination with the existing cap, or b) a new cap without the washer.
These parts are available for use in compliance with a portion of RV-14A SB-00027. Please choose one or the other, as both are not needed. The same result is obtained by using either part.
The parts are available to order on the Van's web store, in the Airframe Maintenance section under the SB-00027 name.
Data from an incident in the field shows that under certain circumstances the RV-14A nose gear leg, if it was to fail due to extreme overload, could fail in such a way that the mechanism would strike the fitting/hose on the fuel pump attached to the engine, potentially breaking the fitting and/or hose, increasing the risk of a fire.
Van's has designed a modification to the existing nose gear leg weldment (removal of a small amount of material for clearance). The steps to complete that modification are described in the service bulletin document.
In addition, Van’s has released a new replacement washer, which modifies the loads spread across the nose gear cap in an extreme overload scenario. As an alternative to the washer, one can choose to replace the existing cap with a new version of the part. Either of these changes (new washer or new cap) will result in the same outcome: In the event of a complete gear leg failure, the nose gear attach point will break lower, at the threads rather than at the top cap. This lower breaking point results in a motion path in which the fuel pump fitting/hose would not be struck by the top of the rotating gear leg.
The new washers are available from Van's at no charge (including free shipping), or the updated version of the cap can be purchased if desired. Again, either part results in the same design outcome. It is only necessary to use either a) the new washer in combination with the existing cap, or b) a new cap without the washer.
These parts are available for use in compliance with a portion of RV-14A SB-00027. Please choose one or the other, as both are not needed. The same result is obtained by using either part.
The parts are available to order on the Van's web store, in the Airframe Maintenance section under the SB-00027 name.
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