Maintenance and Modifications
Cessna Faces $2.4M FAA Fine for Bad Composite Work
The FAA has proposed a $2.425 million civil penalty against Cessna Aircraft

The FAA has proposed a $2.425 million civil penalty against Cessna Aircraft following the in-flight separation of portions of skin on the wing of a Corvalis piston single.

The incident occurred last December as an FAA test pilot performed a production audit test flight for the high-performance, all-composite aircraft. Although approximately seven feet of skin on the left wing separated from the forward spar and damaged a fuel tank, the pilot managed an emergency landing at the Cessna facility in Independence, Kan., where the Corvalis is produced.