An aileron came partly off a twin after a hinge pin walked out, and 102 US planes now need checking

On one Tecnam P2006T, the left aileron partly detached from the airplane after the pin holding its outboard hinge together went missing. Investigators traced the loss to the cotter pin that is supposed to keep that hinge pin in place. The FAA has now turned the finding into an inspection order for 102 of the airplanes on the U.S. register.

The order is airworthiness directive 2026-19-06, a final rule published September 28 that takes effect October 13, 2026.

A cotter pin, a hinge pin and an aileron

The mechanism is small and mechanical. According to the FAA’s final rule, analysis showed the hinge pin could migrate out of the aileron hinge assembly because of a missing or broken cotter pin, which let the outboard hinge halves separate. Once the pin walks out, the hinge is no longer a hinge, and the aileron hangs on whatever hardware remains. The aileron is the hinged surface on the trailing edge of the wing that rolls the airplane, so a partly detached one threatens the pilot’s control in roll rather than only the airplane’s skin.

Fleet inspections that followed turned up more than the original airplane. They found broken and incorrectly installed cotter pins, along with cracks in some aileron hinges. The cracks widen the finding from a lost pin to possible metal damage in the hinges themselves, and the directive’s repair path reflects that.

The airplane in question is a light twin. As AVweb reported when the FAA certificated it in November 2010, the four-seat P2006T is powered by two Rotax 912S engines of 100 horsepower each. Two engines mean the airplane can keep flying after losing one, but they do nothing for a control surface that has lost part of its hinge.

Serial numbers 001 to 434, 102 airplanes and one inspection

The directive applies to P2006T airplanes with serial numbers 001 through 434 and serial number 442. Of those, the FAA counts 102 on the U.S. register. That is the American share only; the same defect was handled first in Europe, where EASA issued AD 2026-0124 on July 1, 2026, with a wider scope that also reaches the newer P2006T NG, a version the FAA rule does not list. EASA’s directive took effect July 15, which put Europe’s inspections about three months ahead of the American effective date. It set the same compliance window of 25 flight hours or 30 days, and the FAA says its own action is based on that European finding.

Each owner must perform a one-time detailed visual inspection of the inboard and outboard aileron hinges, including a check that the cotter pins are installed correctly. The deadline is 25 flight hours or 30 days after October 13, whichever comes first. The clock does not start until the rule takes effect, so no airplane is overdue as of this writing. If a cotter pin is missing, broken or wrongly fitted, it must be replaced and secured before the next flight.

A cracked or damaged hinge is handled differently. The airplane stays on the ground until the FAA, EASA or Tecnam’s Design Organization Approval supplies approved repair instructions, because the directive offers no standard repair for cracks. The inspection follows Tecnam Service Bulletin SB 995-CS-Ed. 1 Rev. 2, dated September 18, 2026, the third version of a document that Tecnam first issued on April 21, 2026 and revised on August 25. Three revisions in under five months suggest the inspection instructions were still being tightened as fleet findings arrived, and the FAA tied its rule to the latest one.

Cost, comment deadline and the interim label

The FAA puts the inspection at one work-hour, $85 per airplane and $8,670 across the 102 airplanes. Replacing a cotter pin costs $86 per pin, an hour of labor plus $1 in parts. A cotter pin is a split metal pin whose legs are bent over after insertion so that a hinge or clevis pin cannot slide out, and the FAA’s own parts figure of a single dollar shows how little hardware stands between a secure aileron and a loose one. For hinge repairs the agency says it has no data to estimate scope or frequency, so that cost stays blank.

The rule is a final rule with a request for comments, and the FAA calls it an interim action, noting that it may issue further rulemaking. The Federal Register record lists November 12, 2026 as the date comments close, and they can be filed through docket FAA-2026-11784. Among the open points, the directive does not say how many of the 102 airplanes will show cracked hinges, and the hinge repair costs that would reveal it are the ones the FAA left unestimated.

This article was produced with the assistance of AI and reviewed by Morning Overview editors prior to publication.

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