The US FAA are proposing an Airworthiness Directive (AD) for all Cessna C172, C182, C206, C207 and C210 aircraft manufactured before 1995, including the Reims variants. The AD addresses reports of cracking near the forward cabin doorpost, at the lower wing strut attachment. The cracks are the result of metal fatigue, according to the AD, and could result in the wing strut attach point failing in-flight.
The concerns have existed for 20 years+ and the AD mandates compliance with existing
Cessna Service Bulletins SEB-95-19 and SEB-93-5R1, which both date back to 1995.
If adopted as written, the first inspection is due at 4,000hr and will take about 1.5hr to accomplish. It must then be repeated annually or every 1,000hr, whichever comes first. If cracks are found, the repair consists of installing a Cessna service kit to reinforce the area, which is estimated to take about 24 man-hours, at an estimate cost of $2,500-$3,000.
FAA ADs are usually adopted by EASA, so the AD would apply to all EU registered affected aircraft.
