AINalerts: December 20, 2005

Raytheon Issues 1900D Maintenance Alerts
Raytheon issued a new safety communiqué to advise Beech 1900 operators of another misleading illustration in the type’s maintenance manuals. The notice represents the latest in a series of manual revisions prompted by the crash of two Beech 1900D airliners that killed 23 people in 2003. The communiqué, mailed to operators on December 5, warns that an illustration incorrectly depicts the position of the trim cable terminal ends during an installation of a forward rudder-trim cable. After installing the cable, a 1900C operator found the rudder tab to move in the direction opposite that commanded by the rudder-trim cockpit control. After investigating the incident, Raytheon found that the 1900D manual contained the same discrepancy. The company recommends that all 1900 operators who have installed a forward rudder-trim cable since November 2004 perform a rudder-trim operational check.

EASA Certifies Ae270 Turboprop
On December 15, the European Aviation Safety Agency awarded the type certificate for the Ibis Aerospace Ae270 turboprop single to Aero Vodochody, the Czech partner in the joint venture with Taiwan’s Aerospace Industries Development. FAA approval is expected shortly. Ibis said its expects to receive additional financing next year that will fund development to the production phase. However, the current version of the aircraft has not met its performance targets and the manufacturer now intends to develop an improved Ae270 that will go into production. The Ae270B will have a larger, lighter wing that will be longer and deeper than the existing design. Repositioned flaps and ailerons will provide greater range and improve stall characteristics. The Ae270B is not expected to receive certification until mid-2007 at the earliest.

Dassault and Honeywell Settle Lawsuit
Dassault Aviation has reached a settlement with Honeywell over a $60 million lawsuit filed against the avionics manufacturer by the French business jet builder in October. The complaint stemmed from software integration delays with Honeywell’s Primus Epic avionics platform, the baseline system behind the EASy cockpits in the Falcon 900EX and 2000EX, as well as several in-development Falcons. In its lawsuit, Dassault claimed that the setbacks postponed certification of the two models and damaged its reputation for delivering airplanes on time. Terms of the settlement were not disclosed. In a statement, Honeywell said it reached a “mutually satisfactory resolution” with Dassault and that it welcomed the chance to continue the two companies’ “longstanding and successful relationship.”

Eclipse Gets TIA, but Supplier Problem Looms
An ongoing “supplier problem” is casting a shadow over Eclipse Aviation’s receipt of its first type inspection authorization (TIA) from the FAA earlier this month. The TIA authorizes agency personnel to begin performing onboard aircraft testing of the Eclipse 500 for certification credit. But the supplier problem–which sources say is related to the avionics system–could delay the March certification target for Eclipse’s very light jet. Eclipse will meet with the unidentified vendor tomorrow in hopes of resolving the issue. At present, company president and CEO Vern Raburn is “70-percent sure” that the Eclipse 500 will be certified by the end of March, and “95-percent certain” that the approval will be achieved by mid-May. A spokesman told AIN that the troublesome supplier’s name would be revealed if no resolution was reached in this week’s meeting.