Introduction
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is issuing this Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) to alert owners, operators, maintenance technicians, and inspectors of an airworthiness concern for Hartzell Propeller Inc. (Hartzell) and McCauley Propeller Systems (McCauley) propellers, specifically, those returned to service by Trinity Specialized Services, LLC (Trinity) doing business as Specialized Propeller Services, LLC.
At this time, the airworthiness concern is not an unsafe condition that would warrant airworthiness directive (AD) action under Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations (14 CFR) part 39.
Background
The FAA determined that Trinity did not maintain Hartzell and McCauley propellers in accordance with the current manufacturer’s maintenance manual or methods otherwise acceptable to the administrator and improperly returned propellers to service between the dates of January 29, 2016 and March 25, 2021. The following improper maintenance or overhaul practices were identified and may affect airworthiness of the propeller:
- Trinity approved return to service propellers that were not maintained in accordance with the current manufacturer’s maintenance manual or methods otherwise acceptable to the administrator.
- Trinity used parts that were not purchased from or traceable to an approved source.
- Trinity allowed unqualified personnel to perform nondestructive inspections, shot peening, and cold compression rolling of Hartzell propeller blades.
To date, the FAA has not received any in-fleet safety reports or failures related to Trinity return to service propellers, however, these discrepancies may affect the continued reliable operation of the propeller and related systems.
Recommendations
The FAA recommends owners, operators, and maintainers of Hartzell and McCauley constant speed propellers which were returned to service by Trinity Specialized Services, LLC between January 29, 2016 and March 25, 2021 have their propeller overhauled or inspected for airworthiness by an authorized repair station holding a certificate issued by the FAA under Title 14 CFR Part 145.
The FAA also recommends that any discrepancies which are found to be related to this safety issue be reported to one of the FAA contacts listed below and through the service difficulty reporting system. The FAA will continue to monitor the situation to determine if further action is warranted.
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