Fans of the most-desired “glued-together” Grumman American-series piston singles are breathing a sigh of relief. The FAA has rescinded an airworthiness directive (AD) originally introduced in December 2021 targeting delamination questions regarding AA-5A Cheetahs and AA-5B Tigers. The AD, which was challenged by 41 commenters, including the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA), was based on an AA5 Traveler that crashed on landing when, the FAA said, its “outboard elevator attach bracket on the horizontal stabilizer detached” due to bondline corrosion and delamination. The Traveler, produced for two years in the early 1970s, was the precursor to the 150-HP Cheetah and 180-HP Tiger, whose tail surfaces were redesigned (among many other refinements) largely under the direction of aerodynamic wizard Roy LoPresti.
This is a companion discussion topic for the original entry at https://www.avweb.com/aviation-news/faa-rescinds-labor-intensive-grumman-cheetah-tiger-delamination-ad