Piper Service Bulletin 1405A just in: Rivets

Scott Sherer

This just came in for my 1977 Turbo Arrow III (PA-28R-201T). It requires a rivet inspection.

SB_1405A (1).pdf

jacobsja

Ok, so just have to ask the rhetorical question:

How many decades did it take to notice the missing rivets?

greygoose

OK this relates to a previous post, but can an owner conduct the rivet inspection and if all is OK, make the log entry called for in the Bulletin, or does that log entry have to be made by an A&P?

Ben

Esteller

Ben, I don't think an owner/pilot can sign off an AD or a SB. Even if it's just a visual inspection. By the way this service bulletin is more complicated that it appears. I'm surprised that theres not much talk about it. It's not about the presence (or lack) of the rivets. Its about the precise location and types of rivets. I can tale from a picture of any affected airplane is the 6 rivets are there. But I can't tell if they are located at the specific measurements and type of rivets.

empannin

From the SB it looks like you only need to determine if they are there or absent. The AD4 rivet specified is a common rivet. The location graphic is ok for rivet positioning in. My read is not that they were sometimes in the wrong place or wrong rivet. Just that they were absent in some planes and need to be added.

djspathis

I recall a similar SB/AD for a specific rivet (a sixth one?) on the pilots side in about the same location some time back.

DJ

greygoose

Esteller,

Thanks, but I agree with Eric. My read of the SB is that it is an inspection to verify the rivets are in place. On page 2, under Purpose, it states, "On some of the affected aircraft, one or more rivets common to the aircraft skin and the outboard flange of the Fuselage Station (F.S.) 156.00 frame may be missing. This service bulletin provides instructions to inspect, and on condition, install the missing rivets."

Ben

Esteller

Screen Shot 2023-11-06 at 11.16.06 AM.png

I might be wrong, but if one of these rivets were missing it would be very easy to see. At least on my airplane. I dont think they create a SB for something that obvious. it's like to have a SB to make sure the prop is there.

empannin

The good news is it is easy to inspect! I think for the non compliant planes they don't have the rivet holes either so it would not be obvious that there were rivets missing and I think this is why it has taken them so long to identify.

I am sure it is an interesting back story.

Sounds like you have the rivets so you are compliant with the SB. For most this would likely be a log entry at time of annual or no entry at all. For Part 91, SB compliance is optional but the rules are different for Part 135 and around the world.

If there were safety issues or a history of cracked airframes, etc they would likely issue an AD at some point. It seems unlikely in the case and the SB does not have any entry for damage inspection at all (looking for separated skins, cracks, wrinkles, etc). Piper is also not asking for a field report of when the rivets were found missing.