Overdue Annual and a Fabric Tear
Saturday 08:00, a club two-place glider is scheduled for three introductory rides. The logbooks show the last annual inspection signed 12 months and 10 days ago; the aircraft is standard category. During preflight you find a 4-inch tear in the fabric on the left horizontal stabilizer, with loose pinked edges, and the tailwheel tire has cord showing. The club president says the tear is 'cosmetic' and the rides are short, and a mechanic can look at it Monday. The weather is benign. You are the only instructor available; three students have paid. The glider's maintenance manual states that fabric tears greater than 2 inches require a patch with rib stitching. The glider otherwise starts, taxis, and has current registration.
1. Evaluate the legal airworthiness status. Can you conduct the introductory rides?
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No. Two independent problems ground the glider. First, the annual inspection was signed 12 months and 10 days ago; under 14 CFR 91.409 an annual inspection is required within the preceding 12 calendar months, so the glider is overdue and may not be flown except under a special flight permit for a permitted purpose. Second, the 4-inch fabric tear exceeds the manual's 2-inch repair limit and is on a flight-control surface; it is not cosmetic. Loose fabric can alter airflow, flutter, or fail further, and the tailwheel tire with cord showing is also unairworthy. Under 91.7, no person may operate an unairworthy aircraft, and under 91.3 the PIC has final authority and responsibility. Paid introductory rides are passenger-carrying operations, so the pressure to fly is especially inappropriate. The correct answer is to cancel or delay the rides, not to make a local flight.
2. The club president argues that the flights are short and benign. How do you respond, and what do you document?
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Respond with the two separate issues: the annual inspection is overdue regardless of weather or flight length, and the fabric tear is a maintenance-manual repair item. Short flights do not create an exception. Cancel the rides, explain the reason to the students, and offer refunds or rescheduling. Document the discrepancy in the club's maintenance discrepancy log and notify the club maintenance officer. Record the date, the overdue annual, the tear location and size, and the tire condition. Do not sign the aircraft out or allow another pilot to fly it without addressing the items. If the mechanic can come Monday, schedule the inspection and repair then. The president's willingness to accept the risk does not transfer the regulatory responsibility away from the PIC.
3. What is required before the glider can return to service and carry passengers again?
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The glider needs an annual inspection by an appropriately rated mechanic or repair station, plus a repair of the fabric tear per the maintenance manual, including rib stitching if specified, and replacement of the tailwheel tire. The repair must be signed off by approved maintenance personnel, and the annual inspection must be entered in the logbook. Only then is the aircraft airworthy for passenger flights. A special flight permit might allow a maintenance ferry flight in some circumstances, but it would not authorize paid introductory rides. Before the next flight, do a complete preflight and confirm the weight and balance, control travel, and tire condition. The club should also review why the overdue inspection and damage were not caught earlier, so the schedule does not rely on the pilot's preflight alone.