Piper PA-28 and PA-32 Wing Spar Inspection (AD 2020-26-16)
An eddy current check of the lower main spar bolt holes, required once a spar reaches 5,000 factored service hours.
If you own a PA-28 or PA-32 on the AD's serial list, your logbooks decide whether you need this inspection now.
AD 2020-26-16took effect on February 16, 2021, after a 2018 fatal accident in which a PA-28R-201 lost a wing in flight. The FAA traced it to a fatigue crack in a part of the lower main spar cap that can't be seen during a visual inspection. The FAA estimates the AD covers about 5,440 U.S.-registered airplanes.
Here's what it requires and how to get it done.
What AD 2020-26-16 requires
- A logbook review to calculate factored service hours for each main spar. Time flown under 100-hour inspections, which is typical of rental and training airplanes, counts more heavily.
- An eddy current inspection of the lower outboard bolt holes on each main spar cap once a spar reaches 5,000 factored service hours.
- New bolts after the inspection.
- Replacement of any spar with a crack.
- A report of the results to the FAA and Piper.
Which airplanes it covers
Specific serial numbers of 15 models: PA-28-151, PA-28-161, PA-28-181, PA-28-235, PA-28R-180, PA-28R-200, PA-28R-201, PA-28R-201T, PA-28RT-201, PA-28RT-201T, PA-32-260, PA-32-300, PA-32R-300, PA-32RT-300, and PA-32RT-300T. Check your serial number against the AD's applicability section.
What it costs
The FAA's estimates, at $85 an hour:
- Logbook review: about 3 hours, $255
- Eddy current inspection: about $960 total ($190 for access, $600 for the inspection, $170 to close up)
- New spar, if one is needed: about $12,340 per spar
Who can do the eddy current inspection
An A&P certificate alone doesn't cover it. The inspection is done by an eddy current inspector certified to Level II or III under recognized NDT standards such as NAS 410. Most shops bring one in. We connect you with one who covers your airport.
Proposed changes to the Piper spar AD
In September 2024 the FAA proposed two changes. Neither had been published as a final rule as of September 2026, so AD 2020-26-16 is still the rule that applies. The FAA called AD 2020-26-16 an interim action when it was issued, and said further rulemaking might follow.
Docket FAA-2024-2143, published September 19, 2024, would add a one-time eddy current inspection for about 10,927 more U.S.-registered airplanes. The list includes the PA-28-140, PA-28-150, PA-28-160, PA-28-180, PA-28S-160, PA-28S-180, PA-28-236, and PA-28-201T, and specified PA-32 models that share the same spar, including PA-32-300 airplanes from serial number 32-7940001. It would apply when a wing spar has 12,000 or more hours time in service, or when the maintenance records are missing or incomplete. The inspection would look for cracks and for non-crack damage such as deep scratches, gouges, and thread marks. An eddy current already done at 12,000 hours or more under Piper Service Bulletin 1345 (March 27, 2020) or 1345A (September 17, 2021) could be credited. Comments were due November 4, 2024. The FAA called this proposal an interim action as well. The shared spar is cold-bent to form the dihedral, which the FAA says leaves high residual stress at the bolt holes.
Docket FAA-2024-2142, published September 23, 2024, would supersede AD 2020-26-16 for about 10,665 U.S. airplanes. It would replace factored service hours with calculated service hours, require repetitive eddy current inspections for cracks and for non-crack damage such as deep scratches, gouges, and thread marks, and require replacement or modification of the spar at a specified time. For the group that includes newer PA-28s, inspections would start at 3,000 calculated service hours, and the spar would be replaced or reinforced by 13,499 hours. The proposal would remove certain PA-32-300 serial numbers and all PA-32R-300, PA-32RT-300, and PA-32RT-300T airplanes, because those airplanes would move to the other proposal. It would add the PA-32S-300 and the remaining PA-28R-200 and PA-28R-201 serial numbers. The FAA extended the comment period to December 9, 2024.
In that same notice the FAA said it and Piper had received more than 2,800 bolt-hole eddy current reports under AD 2020-26-16. More than 100 of those reports had a positive eddy current indication. Six cracks were found in the reports.
The FAA estimated about $14,383 per wing for a new spar, or about $20,150 per wing for a reinforcement kit that extends spar life to 25,000 hours.
These are still proposals, not final rules. Check the current status in the FAA'sDynamic Regulatory System.
Related inspections
This page summarizes AD 2020-26-16. Always work from the current AD text and your mechanic's judgment.
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