{"id":"F2009L03981","name":"AD/CON/90 Amdt 1 - EQ3 Cylinders - Inspection for Cracks","slug":"ad-con-90-amdt-1-eq3-cylinders-inspection-for-cracks","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":81458,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2009L03981-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Teledyne Continental Motors Piston Engin","sectionType":"division","heading":"Teledyne Continental Motors Piston Engines","content":"### Teledyne Continental Motors Piston Engines\n\n| AD/CON/90 Amdt 1 | EQ3 Cylinders - Inspection for Cracks | 12/2009 |\n| ---------------- | ------------------------------------- | ------- |\n\n| Applicability: | Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) O-470, IO-470, TSIO-470, IO-520, TSIO-520, IO-550 and IOF-550 reciprocating engine models listed in Table 1 of this Directive that have one or more affected TCM cylinders installed.To identify the affected cylinders, cross reference the engine models in Table 1 of this Directive with the engine serial numbers found in Tables 1, 1A, 2 and 2A of TCM Mandatory Service Bulletin (MSB) No. MSB09-1B, dated 14 July 2009. Use the tables found in MSB09-1B to also identify spare EQ3 cylinders by cylinder part number and cylinder serial number that may have been installed on these engines. |\n| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |\n| | Table 1 - Affected Engine Models |\n| | O-470-G, K, L, R, S, M, U |\n| | IO-470-C, D, E, F, H, L, M, N, S, U, V, VO |\n| | TSIO-470-B, C, D |\n| | IO-520-A, B, BA, BB, C, CB, D, E, F, J, K, L, M, MB |\n| | TSIO-520-AF, B, BB, C, CE, D, DB, E, EB, G, H, J, JB, K, KB, L, LB, M, N, NB, P, R, T, UB, VB, WB |\n| | IO-550-A, B, C, D, E, F, L |\n| | IOF-550-B, C, D, E, F, L |\n| | Note 1: These engines are installed on, but not limited to, Alexandria Aircraft LLC (formerly Bellanca) model 300 Super Viking; Beech Bonanza 33, 35 and 36 series, Beech Baron 56 and 58 series, Cessna 180, 182, 188, 205, 206, 207, 210, 303, 310, 320, 402 and 414 model series; Aero Commander 200 and 500; certain Rockwell (formerly Meyers) Windecker Eagle 200 and Navion aeroplanes. |\n| Requirement: | 1. Identify EQ3 cylinders using Step 1 of MSB09-1B. |\n\n| | 2. For EQ3 cylinders with 400 or more hours total time of operation on the effective date of this Directive, perform an initial visual inspection of the cylinder for cracks using Step 2, paragraph B, of MSB09-1B. |\n| ----------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| | 3. For EQ3 cylinders with fewer than 400 hours total time of operation on the effective date of this Directive, perform an initial visual inspection of the cylinder for cracks, using Step 2, paragraph B, of TCM MSB09-1B. |\n| | 4. Remove from service any cylinders that are found to be cracked during the Requirement 2 or 3 visual inspections. |\n| | 5. Remove from service all EQ3 cylinders. |\n| | 6. EQ3 cylinders may not be installed onto any engine and any EQ3 cylinder-equipped engine may not be installed onto any aircraft. |\n| | Initial visual inspections accomplished before the effective date of this Directive per TCM MSB09-1A, dated 11 March 2009, comply with the initial inspection requirements specified in this Directive. |\n| | Later revisions of the above MSB, approved by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an Alternate Method of Compliance (AMOC) to FAA AD 2009-19-07, are considered acceptable for compliance with the equivalent Requirements of this Directive. |\n| | Note 2: FAA AD 2009-19-07 Amdt 39-16023 refers. |\n| Compliance: | For Requirement 1 - Remains unchanged as ‘Within 20 flight hours after the effective date of the original issue of this Directive’. |\n| | For Requirement 2 - Remains unchanged as ‘Within 20 flight hours after the effective date of the original issue of this Directive and thereafter at intervals not to exceed 50 hours of operation’. |\n| | For Requirement 3 - Before reaching 400 hours total time of operation and thereafter at intervals not to exceed 50 hours of operation. |\n| | For Requirement 4 - Before further flight after the visual inspection. |\n| | For Requirement 5 - Remains unchanged as ‘Within 1,300 hours total time of operation after the effective date of the original issue of this Directive’. |\n| | For Requirement 6 - As of the effective date of this Amendment. |\n| | This Amendment becomes effective on 19 November 2009. |\n\n| Background: | In February 2009, the FAA was made aware by TCM of reports of 35 EQ3 cylinders found with cracks during inspection. Cracked cylinders occurred on engines with times ranging from about 430 to 1,300 hours of operation. TCM investigated the cause and discovered that their EQ3 configuration cylinder head casting tool used in the cylinder manufacturing process created an area of reduced wall thickness. This reduced wall thickness can result in a crack in the area between the upper spark plug bore and the fuel injector/primer nozzle bore during operation. TCM shipped engines with EQ3 cylinders and shipped individual EQ3 cylinders from 1 November 2007, through 30 January 2009. Also, TCM produced a group of about 300 EQ3 cylinders in August and September of 2006. |\n| ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| | This condition, if not corrected, could result in loss of engine power due to cracks in the cylinder head, possible engine failure and fire in the engine compartment. |\n| | This Amendment corrects a typographical error in the compliance statement. Compliance times remain unchanged. |\n| | The original issue of this Directive became effective on 7 October 2009. |\n\n![](image.001.png) \nJames Coyne \nDelegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority\n\n30 September 2009","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"AD/CON/90 Amdt 1","sectionType":"part","heading":"AD/CON/90 Amdt 1","content":"## AD/CON/90 Amdt 1","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"EQ3 Cylinders - Inspection for Cracks","sectionType":"part","heading":"EQ3 Cylinders - Inspection for Cracks","content":"## EQ3 Cylinders - Inspection for Cracks","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"12/2009","sectionType":"part","heading":"12/2009","content":"## 12/2009","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":5,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Amendment corrects a typographical error in the compliance statement but leaves compliance times and required actions unchanged. The directive's scope — identification, inspection, removal and prohibition of EQ3 cylinders for the listed TCM engine models and spares — remains the same (\"This Amendment corrects a typographical error in the compliance statement. Compliance times remain unchanged.\")."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-referencing required between this Directive's engine-model list and multiple tables (Tables 1, 1A, 2 and 2A) in TCM Mandatory Service Bulletin MSB09-1B to identify affected cylinders (Applicability).","Different inspection triggers and intervals depending on total time in service (>=400 hours vs <400 hours) and recurring 50‑hour inspection intervals (Requirements 2–3; Compliance).","Multiple mandatory actions: identify, inspect, remove cracked cylinders immediately, and remove all EQ3 cylinders by a defined total-time limit; plus an immediate prohibition on installing EQ3 cylinders or engines equipped with them (Requirements 1–6).","Dependence on external documents and approvals: MSB09-1B steps are norm-referenced for inspection procedure; later MSB revisions approved by FAA as an AMOC are accepted (Requirements/Later revisions).","Wide model coverage and spare-parts interaction: many engine models listed and note about spare EQ3 cylinders increases tracing and compliance burden for operators and maintainers (Table 1; Applicability).","Safety consequence linkage is direct and operational (Background): cracks reported at 430–1,300 hours, so timing and removal requirements are time-sensitive and operationally urgent.","Amendment limited to a typographical correction but maintains the original compliance timings, so practitioners must note no change to deadlines despite paperwork change (Background)."],"plain_english_summary":"Requires owners/operators of specified Teledyne Continental Motors (TCM) engines to identify EQ3 cylinders (using TCM MSB09‑1B), visually inspect them for cracks at specified flight‑hour intervals, remove cracked cylinders, and remove and prohibit installation of all EQ3 cylinders. Applies to listed O‑470, IO‑470, TSIO‑470, IO‑520, TSIO‑520, IO‑550 and IOF‑550 engine models and affected spare cylinders. It matters because reported EQ3 cylinder cracks can cause loss of engine power, engine failure and fire; inspection and replacement costs fall to aircraft owners/operators."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Amendment 1 explicitly states it only corrects a typographical error in the compliance statement. The scope remains identical to the original AD/CON/90 issued in October 2009 — a targeted safety directive addressing a specific manufacturing defect in EQ3 cylinders. No expansion of affected engine models, cylinder types, or operational requirements occurred."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple cross-references to external manufacturer documents (TCM MSB09-1B, MSB09-1A, FAA AD 2009-19-07) required to identify affected parts and compliance methods","Tiered compliance schedule based on engine hours (400+ hours vs under 400 hours) with different inspection timelines","Dual-path compliance recognition (accepts prior inspections under earlier bulletin MSB09-1A and later FAA-approved revisions as equivalent)","Nested applicability determination requiring cross-referencing between Table 1 of the Directive and multiple tables in the manufacturer service bulletin","Mixture of immediate bans (Requirement 6) and phased removal deadlines (Requirement 5 at 1,300 hours)","Technical aviation terminology throughout (reciprocating engines, cylinder part numbers, serial number tracking, flight hours vs total time of operation)"],"plain_english_summary":"This AD mandates inspections and removal of certain Teledyne Continental Motors EQ3 cylinders installed on specified O‑ and IO‑series engines used in common GA aircraft. It requires operators to identify affected cylinders, inspect for wall cracks that can cause engine failure or fires, and ultimately remove all EQ3 cylinders; installs were banned from Nov 19, 2009. The Amendment corrects a compliance date typo — safety obligations are unchanged."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-con-90-amdt-1-eq3-cylinders-inspection-for-cracks","history":"/api/acts/ad-con-90-amdt-1-eq3-cylinders-inspection-for-cracks/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-con-90-amdt-1-eq3-cylinders-inspection-for-cracks/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-con-90-amdt-1-eq3-cylinders-inspection-for-cracks/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-con-90-amdt-1-eq3-cylinders-inspection-for-cracks/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-con-90-amdt-1-eq3-cylinders-inspection-for-cracks/documents"}}