SB #35 Tandem Drogue Bridle 3-Ring Attachment Inspection

Product Service Bulletin

ISSUE DATE: April 27^th, 2021

BULLETIN NUMBER: SB #35

SUBJECT: Tandem Drogue Bridle 3-Ring Attachment Inspection

STATUS: Mandatory

IDENTIFICATION: Strong Enterprises 6-Gore Tandem Drogue (PN 480026) manufactured between June 22, 2020 and February 2, 2021 which can also be identified by the last 3 digits of serial number being between xxx625-xxx714

BACKGROUND: Affected Drogues included an engineering change to the stitching junction at the 3-Ring end of the Drogue Bridle using one continuous piece of webbing. While the new configuration performed well during initial testing, End-Users in the field reported accelerated and excessive wear in this location.

SERVICE BULLETIN: All affected Drogues must be grounded until the 3-Ring attachment end of the Drogue Bridle is carefully inspected for accelerated excessive wear. The photos below show a Drogue that was removed from service after approximately 200 jumps and shows excessive wear. While these are not objective parameters, they may be used to guide the Inspector’s subjective decision to continue use with subsequent inspection after each jump or remove the Drogue from service. If there is any doubt, remove the Drogue from service.