legalities/technicalities on parts from an un-airworthy aircraft

Matthew

Matthew

Touchdown! Greaser!
Joined
Apr 18, 2005
Messages
19,207
Location
kojc, kixd, k34
Display Name
Display name:
Matthew
If an aircraft is grounded because of an AD (Blanik L13), what affect does that have on salvaging parts out of it? Instruments? Landing gear assemblies? Other parts that might be able to be used in other airworthy aircraft or models?

Just considering the options.
 
If the parts are shown to still be airworthy, there's no problem. "Parting out" is common. No progress yet on the ADC STC to fix the issue? Other than the life limited spar which is the issue of the AD, the other parts, if you can find someone to use them most likely just need to be inspected to the satisfaction of the installing mechanic if you can find someone who needs/wants them.
 
Matthew said:
If an aircraft is grounded because of an AD (Blanik L13), what affect does that have on salvaging parts out of it? Instruments? Landing gear assemblies? Other parts that might be able to be used in other airworthy aircraft or models?

Just considering the options.
Click to expand...


The parts that have the AD against them are junk....


Landing gear saddles on an old 1960s 210 for instance may be junk. The rest of the parts are fine, as long as inspected and AD compliant themselves.
 
Last edited:
That Blanik AD stinks, there's one near Omaha they are still trying to figure out what to do with.
 
flyingron said:
If the parts are shown to still be airworthy, there's no problem. "Parting out" is common. No progress yet on the ADC STC to fix the issue? Other than the life limited spar which is the issue of the AD, the other parts, if you can find someone to use them most likely just need to be inspected to the satisfaction of the installing mechanic if you can find someone who needs/wants them.
Click to expand...

bnt83 said:
The parts that have the AD against them are junk....
Click to expand...

Thanks. My club has hung onto our L13 since there really isn't a way to do anything else with it. Some of the guys are really knowledgeable about the details of what I was asking, but I'm trying to get more educated myself. I didn't know if a part that came from an aircraft grounded by an AD needed some kind of 'blessing' to be used in another aircraft.

Sounds like as long as the installing mechanic believes it's OK, then that's good enough?

Some of the parts might be able to be used in other Blanik models, but parting out things that can only be used in an L13 won't do any good since no one else has a flyable L13 either.

We've discussed putting it on a stick and using it as our airport wind-T.
 
Matthew said:
Thanks. My club has hung onto our L13 since there really isn't a way to do anything else with it. Some of the guys are really knowledgeable about the details of what I was asking, but I'm trying to get more educated myself. I didn't know if a part that came from an aircraft grounded by an AD needed some kind of 'blessing' to be used in another aircraft.

Sounds like as long as the installing mechanic believes it's OK, then that's good enough?

Some of the parts might be able to be used in other Blanik models, but parting out things that can only be used in an L13 won't do any good since no one else has a flyable L13 either.

We've discussed putting it on a stick and using it as our airport wind-T.
Click to expand...


From what I understand the AD in question is against the wing spar. Everything else, depending on AD search and a visual inspection, should be salvagable.
 
Looks like the cracking area is outside of the fuselage so that whole fuselage should be salvageable. The spoilers, brackets, wing tips, cables, flaps tracks and stuff is salvageable from the wings.
Maybe there is market for core wings sold to a company to update them?
 
bnt83 said:
Maybe there is market for core wings sold to a company to update them?
Click to expand...

I think a lot of people are hoping that will be the case. Until there is a resolution to the AD on how to fix or inspect the spars, that isn't going to happen. Without usable wings, there's no market for a fuselage.
 
Matthew said:
I think a lot of people are hoping that will be the case. Until there is a resolution to the AD on how to fix or inspect the spars, that isn't going to happen. Without usable wings, there's no market for a fuselage.
Click to expand...


Is there an EASA approved mod? I'm thinking the bilateral agreement between FAA and EASA that pretty much says "yours is as good as mine", that would be acceptable.
 
Last edited:
EASA is a *****. Its so much more involved than the FAA that many OEMs are certifying with EASA before they worry about FAA compliance.
 
I can't remember all the details. I think that someone has proposed a fix to EASA, but the manufacturer (LET) hasn't gotten involved in it yet. I think there needs to be a bunch of engineering studies and LET has to sign off on it or something like that. LET doesn't seem too interested in taking on the responsibility of those old gliders when they have new ones to sell. Until it gets past EASA, FAA isn't about to jump in. And I'm not sure FAA is keen on the proposal anyway. I haven't looked at it for about a year, but I think the proposed fix is some reinforcements that would carry the wing load and take it off the spar at the attach-point. I think it was expected to be something like $20K for the parts alone (and many more thousands of $$$ in labor). That's why some of us were hoping there would be a market for L13s, like a big club with A&Ps that could buy a bunch of L13s cheap then do the labor themselves and resell the fixed gliders.

It's a pretty sad ending for the most numerous glider in the world.
 
Matthew said:
If an aircraft is grounded because of an AD (Blanik L13), what affect does that have on salvaging parts out of it? Instruments? Landing gear assemblies? Other parts that might be able to be used in other airworthy aircraft or models?

Just considering the options.
Click to expand...

Who declares airworthiness of any used part?
 
bnt83 said:
Looks like the cracking area is outside of the fuselage so that whole fuselage should be salvageable. The spoilers, brackets, wing tips, cables, flaps tracks and stuff is salvageable from the wings.
Maybe there is market for core wings sold to a company to update them?
Click to expand...

If all the aircraft are down for the same reason, who are you going to sell the parts to?
 
Tom-D said:
If all the aircraft are down for the same reason, who are you going to sell the parts to?
Click to expand...

Interchangable parts with flying ones. The L-23s are not affected by the L-13 AD.
 
i think the landing gear are about the only common parts between L-13 and L-23
 
Strip it out and sell it to someone looking for a lawn ornament.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top