The "WAR Stories" below were selected because they detail an aging issue experienced by a general aviation pilot or mechanic.

 TitleSummaryAircraft
Beechcraft Bonanza V35A: rudder control tube (December 2011)Beechcraft: V35A; Cut Rudder Control Tube; ATA 2720 A general aviation submitter says, "During the performance of an Annual Inspection, an IA (inspection authorization) found the right ruddervator trim control cable was routed incorrectly and had cut through the right ruddervator control tube (approximately 75%).
Beechcraft 33, 35 & 36 Bonanza
Piper 28 180 Cherokee: fuel selector (Jan 2012)The problem showed up when the left tank overflow valve was plugged by wasps (The plane sat in grass for 2 days at small airport) At the same time, a fleck of paint blocked the airhole in the fuel cap (the bottom of the fuel cap had been painted many years before) After using an hour's worth of fuel from left tank, the valve was switched to the right tank.
Piper PA-28 Cherokee, Dakota, Archer
CE-11-57: Powerplant, Engine Mount SectionThe Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) received a report of a fatigue crack in a Model AT-402 airplane engine mount tube at the left hand firewall attach location. The crack started in the tip of the weld where the tubes intersect at the attach bolt lug location (see photo below). This crack area is separate from the engine mount area required to be inspected.
AT-400 Series
Too Old to Fly? Relieveing the Aches & Pains of Aging GA AircraftBlinking warning lights, leaking fluids, and creaky latches are all helpful indicators of an airplane problem. Often, though, discovering an unsafe condition, particularly with an aircraft over the 40-year mark, requires a much closer look. Being adept at these measures...can still help you give your airplane a longer and safer life.
NIAR Aging Aircraft Teardown Evaluations - SummaryTo determine if potential continuing airworthiness problems exist for the small airplane fleet as a function of the aging process, the Federal Aviation Administration established a two-phase research program to conduct a destructive evaluation of four aged airplanes (two Cessna 402s, a Piper Navajo Chieftain, and a Beechcraft 1900D) used in commuter service.
Beachcraft 1900
Cessna 402 Businessliner
Piper PA-31 Navajo and/or Chieftain
CE-11-21: Flight Controls: Trailing Edge Flaps; Flap Nose Rib CrackingIn 2007, a pilot reported a split flap condition during flap extension and landed safely without incident. An inspection found the right-hand flap rod attach bracket broken and the flap nose rib nut plate flange torn. Further inspection of the flap revealed cracking in the P/N 35-165050-84 nose rib. Inspection of the left-hand side flap found similar damage.
Beechcraft 33, 35 & 36 Bonanza
Beechcraft 55, 56 & 58 Baron
Beechcraft 60 Duke
General Aviation Demographics DatabaseGeneral Aviation Demographics Database - The information included in this new feature was collected for future risk assessment of the general aviation fleet. This new database contains pertinent demographic data aimed to aid airplane owners. The research projects was directed by the FAA Aging Aircraft Safety Program.
WAR Story - Boeing A75N1 - Washer thickness on engine mountJune 29th 2007 - A Boeing Stearman set out on a perfect day for air show practice. Everything seemed to be alright before takeoff. Soon after takeoff, witnesses reported hearing a loud bang, and then saw a large piece of the plane fall to the ground. The engine had separated from the plane. Soon after, the plane dove to the ground and crashed at a 90 degree angle.
Boeing Stearman 75
WAR Story - Taylorcraft BF12 - wing lift strut attachment fittingOn July 28, 2007 in West Linn, OR, a 67-year-old float-equipped Taylorcraft BF12 crashed into a river following a wing lift strut separation. The NTSB determines the probable cause of this accident as the corrosion, fatigue fracture and subsequent separation of the left wing lift strut attachment fitting in addition to inadequate maintenance and annual inspection by the owner/pilot/mechanic.
Taylorcraft B
WAR Story - North American Harvard MK - tail wheelOn September 28, 2008, a North American Harvard MK, veered off the runway into a ditch during a landing in Dayton, OH. The National Transportation Safety Board determines the probable cause(s) of this accident as improper maintenance on the tail wheel anti-shimmy mechanism and the pilot's decision to continue operating the airplane with a known shimmy in the tail wheel.
North American T-6, AT-6, SNJ Texan, Harvard
123
Last Updated: 4/20/2012