AD 97-07-03 62 FR 14794

This amendment supersedes Airworthiness Directive (AD) 81-11- 04 that applies to The New Piper Aircraft, Inc. (Piper) Models PA31, PA31-300, PA31-325, and PA31-350 airplanes that have Cleveland nose wheel assembly part number (P/N) 40-76B installed. AD 81-11-04 currently requires inspecting the nose wheel flange for cracks. The repetitive inspections terminate by replacing the nose wheel assembly with Cleveland P/N 40-140, which is an improved design. This action is prompted by the lack of designation of Piper Model PA31P in the Applicability section of AD 81-11-04, and the subsequent failure of a nose wheel assembly on a Piper Model PA31P airplane during taxiing operations. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent the failure of the nose wheel, which if not corrected, could result in loss of control of the airplane during taxiing, take-off, or landing operations.