Transport Canada is proposing a new AD that addresses an outstanding recommendation from the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) concerning emergency egress by occupants of the aft-most seats in Cessna 206s.

The TSB made the recommendation after fatalities occurred when Cessna 206s became submerged as a result of an accident on water; when a 206’s flaps are deployed 20° or more, they impeded the opening of the aircraft’s cargo doors, which serve as an emergency exit for any passengers located in the last (third) row of seats in the normally six-seat aircraft. Access to an alternative point of egress, the pilot’s door, is also impeded by the second row of seats. In an emergency egress while submerged, it can be extremely difficult to find one’s way to the pilot’s door given the disorientation that any passengers would likely be experiencing.

The proposed AD calls for the removal of one of the centre-row seats. The latest iteration of the 206, the 206H (which came to market in 1998), is already limited by TC to five seats, requiring one of the centre seats to be removed before issuing the aircraft a Certificate of Airworthiness.

The proposed AD also calls for the installation of Cessna’s Cargo Door Latch Improvement Kit (p/n: SK206-40), which was created in conjunction with Cessna’s Service Bulletin SEB91-4 back in 1991.

Appended below are PDF versions of the proposed AD, the cover letter from TC that was sent to current Cessna 206 owners and of SEB91-4.

COPA members who are affected by this proposed AD are encouraged to contact COPA’s operations manager Jean-Claude Audet. Based on member feedback, COPA may decide to intervene.

Top photo: Right side of C-FNEQ [an occurrence aircraft] showing the flap position (20°) relative to the rear double cargo door (flaps partially deployed). The rear half of the cargo door and the pilot door opened during aircraft recovery. Photo courtesy of the TSB

Cover Letter
AD
Service Bulletin SEB91-4