I have a friend that recently purchased a 1967 Cessna 210. There is a Service Bulletin on the spar that will most likely become an AD after what we have found out upon inspection.

I will see if I can get pictures posted shortly on today’s inspection. The spar is in extremely bad shape and needs replaced. Of course Cessna doesn’t have any replacements and isn’t currently planning on producing any. We are looking for advice on where to find parts. It is part no.1210702-1. Serial numbers range of 210’s is 21058810-21058968. Any help would be appreciated.


Thank You,
Chad Thurnau

I’d be looking at salvage yards for a complete wing to replace, say that would be the most economical option.

Andrew

Why are multiple 210 spars corroded?

First off, can we assume you are referring to the Main spar carry-through ?

What exactly did you find and why do you think that your spar carry-through will have any affect on an eventual AD ?

Please note that the previous AD concerning visual inspections of the lower spar cap was the direct result of the extreme abuse that a half dozen 210s used for geo-physic surveying in the West of Australia.

One of those planes lost a wing when the spar carry-through failed at that is what has prompted the FAAs Airworthiness Concern sheet that is to assess if this potential problem is indeed localized and what are the conditions that may contribute to the failures.

I expect that an AD will indeed be published but I also believe it will apply to high time airframes operating under extreme conditions.

Just out of curiosity, why was the spar corrosion at issue not discovered on the pre buy inspection?

Tennessee Aircraft probably has more experience with these models than any other place.

Tennessee Aircraft probably has more experience with these models than any other place.

A little background on this may be helpful for those unfamiliar with the subject.

https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/in ... -2019-026/

It seems that Cessna at one point was gluing foam insulation to the carry through spar on the non-strutted 210's and 177's. Corrosion formed there, it was not easily seen with the foam in place, and progressed to the point of structural weakness. Apparently, Cessna will be making these carry through spars available at some point in the future, date and price unannounced as yet. Only 1 spar failure so far, on 1 aircraft that was not flying what most would consider a "regular" flight profile.

http://cessnaowner.org/textron-aviation ... -and-210s/

177s have had a long recognized issue with the CAT duct degrading (located next to spar) and the exposed spring support rubbing against the carry through section. This caused abrasive & dissimilar metal corrosion.

To their credit, Cessna provided some fairly detailed guidance to clean, treat and return to service, but if you had corrosion outside the limits, you were stuck trying to find a salvageable center section, which is not easy.

I'd say that at this point in time, just about any serious Cardinal owner has had theirs checked, treated or whatever was needed. A bird that's been sitting for 20 years, well, maybe not so much.

Best,
Rich

Below are some pictures. As previously mentioned in this forum the foam was glued to the spar. There are huge holes through the carry through spar. Not pretty!!! He is going to talk to the guys in Tennessee tomorrow.

Holy smokes that is some interesting corrosion!

Looks like the plane leaks and the foam was wet...for a long time or quite often. Looks galvanic to me. Was this plane on one of the coasts? Are those actually holes?

Though one. That's going to take a while and leave a mark on the wallet.

Cessna never glued foam to the carry through spar of the 177, only the 210.

Vince N4NV

I believe it was Paul New on the CPS site that said Cessna was in the process of engineering a new carry through spar so they could manufacture them again. The price would probably make your eyes water.

Vince

The plane never was along any coastline, it has actually spent the biggest part of its life in the Midwest in a hangar. We were surprised to see what we saw. He already found a good spar in a salvage yard and is going to start tearing into the project this weekend. And yes those are holes clear through. Some are 3/16” in diameter.