Continental service bulletin made mandatory to boost compliance

The new mandatory service bulletin calls for inspecting and removing casting material buildup on the radius edge of identified cross-flow cylinder heads of “new and rebuilt Continental Aerospace Technologies GTSIO-520-C, D, H, K, L, M, N; IO-550-G, N, P, R; IOF-550-N, P, R; TSIO-520-BE; TSIO-550-A, B, C, E, G, K, N and TSIOF-550-D, J, K, P aviation gasoline (AvGas) engines originally manufactured, rebuilt, or modified with a cross-flow cylinder replacement” on or after November 1, 2014.

A company representative told AOPA that Cirrus SR22 and SR22T owners are among the largest owner groups to which the mandatory service bulletin applies, “based on affected models.”

“Customer safety is a top priority for Continental Aerospace Technologies. Due to a lack of compliance with this safety measure, Continental will re-categorize SB18-08A from a Category 3 Service Bulletin (SB) to a Category 1 Mandatory Service Bulletin (MSB) to encourage more compliance with this brief inspection,” Continental said in a news release.

If an affected model has under 500 hours in service, the inspection and modification must be performed no later than the next scheduled 100-hour or annual. If the affected model has 500 hours in service or greater, the modification must be performed at the next maintenance event (not to exceed 50 hours), the company said.

Actions to comply with the mandatory service bulletin may be eligible for reimbursement “through an updated warranty process,” Continental said.