Heads up if you have an oil filter adapter originally manufactured by F&M Enterprises from 1996 to 2015, and now manufactured by Stratus Tools Technologies.

The NTSB called on the Federal Aviation Administration to issue an airworthiness directive to address an unsafe condition associated with oil filter adapters installed through a supplemental type certificate on Continental engines. Oil leaks from these oil filter adapters can lead to a loss of engine power if not properly installed or maintained.

After uncovering the safety issue during its investigation of two crashes in 2019, the NTSB identified nine other accidents between 2004 and 2018 in which airplanes equipped with these adapters had a loss of engine power. These accidents resulted in three fatalities and five serious injuries.


https://www.ntsb.gov/investigations/AccidentReports/Reports/SPC2003.pdf

How do you identify a “sandcast” Continental crankcase? Were the F&M filter adapters put in by STC?

jrc111 wrote:How do you identify a “sandcast” Continental crankcase? Were the F&M filter adapters put in by STC?

Yes they are an aftermarket oil filter adapter via STC.

Bad news: if you have a 6-cylinder Continental engine that originally had an oil screen and it now has a screw on filter, this probably applies to you.
Good news: Worst case for compliance is 2 gaskets, safety wire, and a little bit of torque-seal. Do a careful inspection of the gaskets and replace them if they are leaking. This has got to be about the cheapest AD I have heard of to comply with.

jrc111 wrote:How do you identify a “sandcast” Continental crankcase?

Location of the oil cooler. Sandcast cases have the oil cooler in front of cylinder #5 (C-180/185s). Permold cases have the oil cooler behind #2, and have an alternator/generator in front of #5 (Bonanzas). The tempest adapter is ~$500 vs. the cessna adapter at $5.5k (aircraft spruce prices), so it's not hard to imagine why there's so many tempest adapters out there. Having experience with both, I prefer the cessna adapter since it's not dependent on these gaskets, but my current engine has the tempest and I follow these instructions to a T for this exact reason and don't feel like spending over 5K to swap it out. Maybe there's cheaper sources somewhere for a used one. I always keep a supply of the gaskets (Tempest Gasket FM-07, $15 aircraft spruce) to prevent any down time waiting on a replacement. During the change of ownership of the STC, the gasket was hard to find for about 9 months. After that experience, I've always had at least 2 spares on my shelf.

I put a Tempest adaptor on last year. Well past the years in question. But still a good idea to get a couple of gaskets to put on the shelf.

As much as we typically decry documentation, I’ve always thought that documentation and clear placarding by the manufacturer would have prevented these failures. Seems like updates were made without informing owners of each series of production how to ensure they were using correct parts and procedures. Too bad.

fredy wrote:..... The tempest adapter is ~$500 vs. the cessna adapter at $5.5k (aircraft spruce prices), so it's not hard to imagine why there's so many tempest adapters out there. Having experience with both, I prefer the cessna adapter since it's not dependent on these gaskets, but my current engine has the tempest and I follow these instructions to a T for this exact reason and don't feel like spending over 5K to swap it out. Maybe there's cheaper sources somewhere for a used one. .....

FWIW the Cessna adapter is also subject to an AD-- 96-12-22.
Re loosening up in use, and thread fretting.
I bought one of these a while back (used) at a good price,
but later sold it off.
I'll probably go with an F&M or maybe an Airwolf set-up when I do a filter (at overhaul time).

For further information refer to Tempest service bulletin, Stratus Tool Technologies, LLC Mandatory Service bulletin SB-001 Rev A dated Dec 19, 2019. No need to speculate, just see what the manufacturer recommends as Instructions for Continued Airworthiness. Hope this helps.

Tim

Was fortunate to be on final...

cdgarg wrote:Was fortunate to be on final...

Yikes!!!

From the Cessna 170 Association forum, the Status service bulletin has a "B" revision which now calls for replacing the fiber washer with a AN928 copper washer. Uses two now.

Tim

bat443 wrote:From the Cessna 170 Association forum, the Status service bulletin has a "B" revision which now calls for replacing the fiber washer with a AN928 copper washer. Uses two now.

Tim

I ran one for 1000 hours without a problem.

I really think that this is caused by turning the housing and tearing the fibre washer during oil changes, perhaps without knowing it. Two copper washers would fix this, and on an O-300 another drip would not be noticed. Its the gushers that get your attention.

.

They went back to the copper gaskets and ditched the fiber gasket on the O-300

I never had a problem with either one, but I never ham fisted the adapter or filter during oil changes.

No issues after a decade of use.

cdgarg wrote:Was fortunate to be on final...

Details? Did you install the adapter or was it already on the plane? Which gasket combo? Last time it had been inspected? Any other helpful insights gleaned from the post leak investigation?

I removed a perfectly good Airwolf remote adapter from my firewall (didn’t like the extra oil lines) and replaced with a tidy looking Tempest adapter a couple of years ago. I sold the Airwolf to someone on this site

Glad you landed safely.

Aryana wrote: They went back to the copper gaskets and ditched the fiber gasket on the O-300 ....

I had an F&M adapter on my 170.
I could never get the lower crush ring (under the adapter) to quit leaking.
They sent me a fiber gasket that fixed the problem.
You do have to be careful when cranking the filter off to avoid twisting the adapter,
which is probably how the fiber gaskets get torn as described.

Squash wrote:

cdgarg wrote:Was fortunate to be on final...

Details? Did you install the adapter or was it already on the plane? Which gasket combo? Last time it had been inspected? Any other helpful insights gleaned from the post leak investigation?

I removed a perfectly good Airwolf remote adapter from my firewall (didn’t like the extra oil lines) and replaced with a tidy looking Tempest adapter a couple of years ago. I sold the Airwolf to someone on this site

Glad you landed safely.

The adapter was already on the plane. My A&P flew down from Friday harbor to repair. I’m going to confirm the details with him when I drop off my plane for annual in a few weeks. Will update then.

Just did the fancy lock wiring on my adaptor as the bulletin calls for. After 4 years, no leaks or twisting.