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46-44-03: Windshield Retaining Channel

FAA order 46-44-03 is an airworthiness directive. The FAA's subject line: Windshield Retaining Channel. It names Cessna 120, Cessna 140: about 2,499 aircraft on the U.S. register today across them, though an order usually covers particular versions or serial numbers rather than every one. System: airframe structure.

What it applies to as the FAA lists it

Kind of product
Aircraft
Makes
Cessna Aircraft Company
Models
120, 140
On this site
Cessna 120 660 registered
Cessna 140 1,839 registered

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 (1,290 characters)
46-44-03 CESSNA: (Was Mandatory Note 3 of AD-768-4.) Applies Only to 120 and 140 Aircraft Serial Numbers 8001 to 9619, Inclusive. Compliance required prior to January 1, 1947. Rework attachment of windshield upper edge by the installation of a retaining channel deeper than the original and extending the entire width of the fuselage. The channel consists of two pieces; one an 0.040-inch 24ST alclad strip, 1 7/8 inches x 42 inches, outside of the windshield and with the rear edge inserted between the fuselage top skin and the front flange of the spar "U" channel; the other an 0.032-inch 24ST alclad strip, 1 13/16 inches x 44 inches, inside of the windshield and overlapping the above-mentioned spar flange. These strips are secured to the top skin and spar flange by a single row of 44 AN 456AD4 rivets. A piece of felt, 2 3/4 inches x 44 inches x 1/16-inch thick, SAE F-55 or equivalent, should be folded over the edge of the windshield and cemented thereto to provide a seal and a tight fit in the channel. This modification is necessary to insure that the windshield will not pull out at the top and alter the airflow, thereby seriously affecting the operational characteristics of the airplane. (Cessna Service Letter No. 14-120 and 140 covers this same subject.)

Related safety bulletins advice on the same designs, not orders

2015-04-15CE-15-13 · FUSELAGE Seat Belt Mounting Bracket
2010-07-30CE-10-40R1 · Aircraft Fuel System; water contamination of fuel tank systems on Cessna single engine airplanes
2009-07-24CE-09-42 · Lights - Landing Light, Beacon Light and Taxi Light Switch Applications
2006-05-24CE-06-46 ·
2005-08-09CE-05-80 ·

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 November 6, 2026. Connections as data: /graph/directive/46-44-03.json · aircraft systems.