46-36-01: Piston Pins
FAA order 46-36-01 is an airworthiness directive. The FAA's subject line: Piston Pins. It names the Continental A-65-3, Continental A-65-8, Continental A-65-8F, Continental A-65-8J, Continental A-65 series, Continental A-80-8, Continental A75-3, Continental A75-8, Continental A75-8F, Continental A75-9, Continental A80 series engines: about 280 aircraft on the U.S. register today across them, though an order usually covers particular versions or serial numbers rather than every one. System: engine.
What it applies to as the FAA lists it
- Kind of product
- Engine
- Makes
- Continental Motors; Continental Motors
- Models
- A-65-1, A-65-12, A-65-12F, A-65-12FJ, A-65-12J, A-65-14, A-65-14F, A-65-14FJ, A-65-14J, A-65-3, A-65-6, A-65-6J, A-65-7, A-65-8, A-65-8F, A-65-8FJ, A-65-8J, A-65-9, A-65-9F, A-65-9FJ, A-65-9J, A75-3, A75-6, A75-6J, A75-8, A75-8F, A75-8FJ, A75-8J, A75-9, A75-9J, A-80-5J, A-80-8, A-80-8J, A-80-9, A-80-9J
- Engine series
- Continental A-65-3 6 aircraft
Continental A-65-8 137 aircraft
Continental A-65-8F 24 aircraft
Continental A-65-8J 1 aircraft
Continental A-65 series 31 aircraft
Continental A-80-8 3 aircraft
Continental A75-3 1 aircraft
Continental A75-8 18 aircraft
Continental A75-8F 3 aircraft
Continental A75-9 2 aircraft
Continental A80 series 54 aircraft
Dates and paperwork
- Docket
- Unknown
- Status
- Current
- The FAA's document
- Read the order on the FAA's site
The order itself the regulatory text, as published
Show the full text (2,525 characters)
46-36-01 CONTINENTAL: (Was Mandatory Note 8 of AD-675-2: 11 of AD-728-1; 2 of AD-751-1; 1 of AD-761-2; 6 of AD-718-6; 9 of AD-737-1; 1 of AD-759-3; 11 of AD-729-1; 8 of AD-720-1; 2 of AD-611-1; 9 of AD-725-1; 11 of AD-691-1; 9 of AD-703-1; 5 of AD-740-1; 9 of AD-725-1; 10 of AD-694-4; 6 of AD-709-1; 8 of AD-730-2; 8 of AD-746-1; and 11 of AD-696-3.) Applies to Aeronca 65-CA; 65-TC, 65-TAC, YO-58; O-58A, O-58B, SO-58B; 11AC; Air Products (Erco) 415-C, 415-CD; CallAir S-1A; Champion 7AC, S7AC; Commonwealth (Rearwin) 175, 180, 185; Northwestern (Porterfield) CP-65, CS-65; 75C; Piper AE-1, HE-1; J3C-65, J3C-65S; J4, J4A, J4A-S; J4E; J5A, J5A-80, J5C; Silvaire (Luscombe) 8, 8A, 8B, 8C, 8D, 8E; Stinson HW-75, 10; Superior (Culver) LCA; Taylorcraft DC-65, DCO-65; Universal (Taylorcraft) BC, BCS, BC-65, BCS-65, BC12-65, BCS12-65, BC12-D, BC12-D1, BCS12-D1 Airplanes Having Continental A-65 Series Engines With Serial Numbers From 3456658 to 4109568, Inclusive; or Continental A-65, A-75, or A-80 Series Engines Which Have Had A-21422 Piston Pins or New 3-Ring Pistons Installed Since September 25, 1945.
Compliance required immediately if possible, but in any event not later than 50 hours of engine operation after August 27, 1946.
A certain percentage of piston pins installed in engines of the above numbers and distributed as replacement parts are subject to failure without warning. The weakness of these pins cannot be detected by normal inspection methods. Piston pin breakage can result in complete engine failure. It is the owner's responsibility to avoid this risk by making the changes outlined in (a) and (b) at the earliest possible time.
(a) Replace piston pin P/N A-21422 (0.626 inch inside diameter) with thick wall piston pin No. A-25127 (0.5945 inch inside diameter). The engine manufacturer has given assurance that every possible effort will be made to supply the required quantity of replacement piston pins.
(b) Simultaneously with (a), all pistons should be examined for skirt cracks and the necessity for rework of the bottom rib. This rework involves reducing the height of the rib until it is at least 1/16-inch wide and rounding all sharp corners.
(c) As an acceptable alternate to (a) and (b), cam ground pistons, P/N 40731, which necessitate using piston pins of greater outside diameter, may be installed. This change will likewise remove the possibility of piston pin failure and piston skirt cracking.
(Continental Motors Service Bulletin M46-6 covers this same subject.)
Source: FAA Dynamic Regulatory System, airworthiness directives. The FAA's document is the authority; the register counts are this site's, from the FAA register of October 5, 2026. Connections as data: /graph/directive/46-36-01.json · aircraft systems.