Date 1 September 2004

ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT AIRWORTHINESS NOTICE

AIRWORTHINESS NOTICE IDENTIFICATION NUMBER : AN-1-9-2004

Drifter Tail wheel Spring

To: All owners and operators of Drifter Aircraft.

Background: An owner has reported the failure of the tail wheel spring.
This failure occurred while traversing a spoon drain. The owner approached the drain, applied sufficient
power to cross the drain, the aircraft bounced at the tail, subsequently braking the tail wheel spring.
There was no evidence of cracks at the pre-flight inspection, or at previous maintenance intervals.

Discussion: The braking of the spring may have been caused by an overloading situation caused by the
bounce while crossing the drain.
If the spring is flexed to the point of reversing the camber of the spring the service life and strength of the
spring will be reduced.
Operating from rough fields, heavy landings, pilot induced oscillations, or old age will all contribute to reducing
the service life or the tail spring

Action Required:
BEFORE NEXT FLIGHT : Carry out a very close inspection of the spring, look for rust coloured deposits
on the spring leaf and in the area of the mounting bolts.
Check the spring for sag and any deformation of the spring camber.

At Each Daily Inspection. Visually inspect the spring for any signs of cracking or deformation.

Recommended Further Action. This is a continuing airworthiness notice .

Reports and Recording. The initial inspection is to be recorded in the aircraft log book
Citing AN-1-9-2004 and any deficits found are to be reported to the RAAus office

Jeff Shepherd
Technical Manager

Defect Reporting is one of the primary ways we have in ensuring continued safety in our operations.