Aviation Authorities Mandate 48-Hour Inspection Regimes for 340 Regional Turboprop Aircraft
The FAA and Transport Canada issue joint airworthiness directives requiring ultrasonic structural scans on regional passenger propeller hubs.
Choseno Aviation Safety Desk August 19, 2026 1 min read DC, US
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WASHINGTON, DC — The Federal Aviation Administration and Transport Canada released coordinated Emergency Airworthiness Directives Wednesday afternoon, requiring mandatory ultrasonic inspections of propeller hub assemblies across more than 340 regional turboprop aircraft operating in North American commercial fleets.
Technical Directives and Safety Protocols
The regulatory action follows a recent metallurgical finding from the National Transportation Safety Board regarding microscopic fatigue micro-cracks detected near the blade retention rings of specific Hartzell propeller systems. Under the directive, commercial operators must complete non-destructive eddy-current and ultrasonic scans before accumulating 10 additional flight cycles.
Airlines operating regional routes connecting rural and northern communities, including Jazz Aviation, Horizon Air, and Silver Airways, confirmed they have activated overnight maintenance shifts to complete scans without interrupting scheduled passenger services.
Regional Fleet Impact and Safety Oversight
Aviation safety engineers noted that the proactive inspections ensure structural integrity across high-cycle feeder aircraft serving airports with short runways and austere climatic conditions.
Transport Canada stated that regional air carriers have already completed preliminary checks on 45 percent of the affected Canadian-registered Dash 8 and ATR airframes with zero critical anomalies identified to date.
Reporting Requirements
Airlines are required to submit digitized inspection telemetry logs to the FAA's Aircraft Certification Service within 24 hours of scan completion.