Another 2,000 Lycomings To Be Grounded

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Thousands more aircraft with high-horsepower Lycoming engines could be grounded by an FAA order (read: Airworthiness Directive) this week, according to The Wall Street Journal. The Journal said the new order will affect up to 2,000 engines not covered by previous Emergency Airworthiness Directives (ADs) to replace substandard crankshaft bolts. The previous order covered mostly factory-installed bolts between 1996 and 1998. The new AD will (as of Nov. 19) cover engines thought to contain the bolts from 1998 to present. The bolts and defective crankshafts have already cost parent company Textron $36 million and this latest development can only send those costs skyward. In addition to all the expense of tearing down the engines, Lycoming is also covering the expenses and alternative travel for affected owners … as well as paying some of them $100 a week for the period their aircraft is rendered unusable if they also agree to forgo legal action.

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