Airworthiness Directives; Cessna Aircraft Company Model 182S Airplanes

This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all Cessna Aircraft Company (Cessna) Model 182S airplanes. This AD requires repetitively inspecting all engine exhaust muffler end plates (four total) for cracks and replacing any muffler where an end plate is found cracked. The AD also requires fabricating and installing a placard that specifies immediately inspecting all engine exhaust muffler end plates any time the engine backfires upon start-up. This AD is the result of incidents where cracks were found in an engine exhaust muffler end plate on several of the affected airplanes. These cracks were caused by high stresses imposed on the attachment of the exhaust at the area of the firewall. The actions specified by this AD are intended to detect and correct damage to the engine exhaust mufflers caused by such high stress and cracking, which could result in exhaust gases entering the airplane cabin with consequent crew and passenger injury.