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June 27, 2006 Dear Alaskan Bushwheel Customer: The Federal Aviation Association (FAA) issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletins (SAIBs) CE-05-21 on December 15, 2004, and CE-05-71 on July 15, 2005. These SAIBs provided important safety information to the owners and operators of Alaskan Bushwheel Tundra Tires manufactured by Alaska Tire & Rubber Company, Eagle River, Alaska. Alaskan Bushwheel Incorporated is issuing its very first Mandatory Service Bulletin in an effort to stop the resale and remove from service these unapproved Alaskan Bushwheel Tundra Tires. In recent months several individuals have been harmed financially by purchasing these unapproved parts on the open market, through private sale, only to discover after the sale that the parts are identified and listed in SAIB CE-05-71. Field Repair Stations, mechanics, and owners of Type aircraft in Alaska were notified of the SAIB by mail, but many people in the continental US and Canada were not notified. This is where many of the tires are being re-sold. If you or someone you know has tires that were described as light, ASM model or strapped tires with the TSO-C62d brand on them, you have illegal, unapproved parts on your aircraft. We feel that the awareness of the seriousness of SAIB CE-05-71 needs to be heightened. Jim Pazsint of Alaska Tire & Rubber Company, Eagle River, Alaska did manufacture and sell unapproved aircraft tires with the TSO brand. Alaskan Bushwheel Inc. and the FAA are continuing to monitor the service of these un-tested, unapproved tires. To date, there have not been any reported incidents involving these unapproved tires that are the subject of SAIB CE-05-71, but these tires manufactured and sold by Jim Pazsint, Alaska Tire & Rubber Company, Eagle River, Alaska were forensically tested and found to be constructed of unapproved ply material of lesser strength and rubber thickness than required by FAA approved standards. The FAA, finance companies, NTSB and insurance companies are aware of SAIB CE-05-71. Be assured, in any incident involving damage to property, serious injury, or loss of life, these category 1 critical landing parts will be inspected. Liability may rest on the shoulders of the owner and/or the mechanic who last inspected the aircraft. Any aircraft using these unapproved parts may be determined to be not airworthy for purposes of insurance coverage. The FAA has stated, that for parts as old as these tires, attrition usually causes the part to remove itself from service. But in the event of a death, serious injury, or substantial aircraft damage caused by the defective tires, an Airworthiness Directive (AD) may be issued requiring removal from service all tires manufactured and sold by James Pazsint, Alaska Tire & Rubber Company, Eagle River, Alaska. Alaskan Bushwheel Inc. desires to be proactive on this matter, not reactive to any such loss. Alaskan Bushwheel is, therefore, offering current replacement of tires for Alaskan Bushwheel Tundra Tires manufactured by the dissolved Alaska Tire and Rubber Company, Eagle River, Alaska, or purchased from James Pazsint of Fire Lake, Alaska or Wolf Lake, Alaska, referred to in Safety Airworthiness Information Bulletins,(SAIBs) CE-05-21 dated December 15, 2004, and CE 05-71 dated July 15, 2005, at a cost as follows: 31"x13"x6" $2800.00 29"x13"x6" $2500.00 26"x12"x6" $2000.00 This offer is only valid on the condition that the owner removes from service the affected tires and returns them to the factory for verification and agrees to sign and deliver an Assignment of Claim form to Alaskan Bushwheel Inc. Replacement tires will then be shipped to the owner, freight pre-paid with appropriate STC for installation as soon as production allows. To arrange for the removal from service of affected tires, please contact Alaskan Bushwheel Inc at 800-442-8473 for instructions and procedures. We at Alaskan Bushwheel Inc. apologize for any inconvenience. We will continue to do our very best to meet our commitment to quality, performance and above all, safety. Sincerely, The Alaskan Bushwheel Inc. Team En/  MANDATORY SERVICE BULLETIN 1 SPECIAL AIRWORTHINESS INFORMATION BULLETIN Aircraft Certification Service Washington, DC U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration CE-05-71 July 15, 2005 http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/safety/alerts/ This is information only. Recommendations aren?t mandatory. Introduction NOTE: We?ve corrected a typo in the tire P/N reference before mailing this SAIB. All other information is correct. This Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) updates information previously provided in SAIB CE-05-21, issued December 15, 2004, and provides additional safety information to you, owners and operators of airplanes equipped with Alaskan Bushwheel Tundra Tires, part numbers (P/N) 26126, 29136, and 31136, manufactured by the former Alaska Tire & Rubber Company of Eagle River, Alaska. Background This SAIB is the result of independent laboratory destructive analysis, weighing and measurement, showing that Alaskan Bushwheel Tundra Tires, serial numbers ATR006253 and ATR811227, were manufactured from unapproved ply material and rubber thinner than permitted by the approved design. Ply material containing 34 Ends Per Inch (EPI) was the only approved ply material that Alaska Tire & Rubber, could use to manufacture its tundra tires under a Technical Standard Order (TSO) Authorization issued February 26, 1997, by the Anchorage Aircraft Certification Office (ACO). Destructive analysis requested in support of Suspected Unapproved Parts Investigation 2003-00080 shows that ply material containing 27 EPI was used to manufacture the tundra tires identified by serial numbers above. Those tires were also found to weigh less than the minimum weight approved by the TSO. The TSO approved minimum new tire weights are as follows: ? P/N 26126 = 26 lbs. ? P/N 29136 = 33.25 lbs. ? P/N 31136 = 37.75 lbs. The actual tire weight and the minimum approved new tire weight may be compared and used as an indication of the EPI count and the thickness of rubber used to construct the tire. The minimum used tire weights are as follows: ? P/N 26126 = 24.85 lbs. ? P/N 29136 = 31.74 lbs. ? P/N 31136 = 36.04 lbs. The minimum used tire weights were calculated by subtracting the weight of rubber required to reduce the tread thickness to its minimum allowable thickness from the TSO approved minimum new tire weight. 2 Recommendation We recommend that you weigh any Alaskan Bushwheel Tundra Tires, P/Ns 26126, 29136, and 31136, manufactured by the former Alaska Tire & Rubber Company of Eagle River, Alaska, in your possession within 100 landings after receipt of this SAIB, and replace them at your aircraft?s next annual inspection if they weigh less than the minimum weights applicable to your tires as prescribed above. For Further Information Contact Rodney Bahr, Aerospace Engineer, FAA Anchorage ACO, 222 W 7th Ave, Unit 14 Anchorage, AK 99513-7587; phone: (907) 271-2646, fax: (907) 271-6365; email: rodney.bahr@faa.gov PRICE LIST - 3/10/08 | Great Links | JetBoil | Bogi-Bar | Warranty Information | ABI MSB | Direct Replacement Parts | Bushwheel Movie | BLAST MATCH(TM) | Calendar of Events | | Return Home | Tires | Tailwheel Systems | Catalog | Photo of the Month | Contact Us | H.D. Maule Gear | Wheels | |
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