Firebird Matrix Recall

Simon Murphy of Firebird UK sent us the following notice.
If any of you have a Matrix Large built in May 2000 and having serial numbers starting 16XXXXX or 18XXXXX, or if you know of anyone else with one, would you please contact us as soon as possible?
In Europe, one glider from the one particular production batch has been found to have a deep stall problem resulting from an incorrect seam assembly. We have imported five gliders to the UK from the same batch, and Staps wants to check out each of them.
The serial numbers of the gliders we imported are:-
1608300 red
1610600 blue
1818000 blue
1818100 blue
1815300 red
The problem only exists in this particular batch of Large Matrixes - the rest of the production is unaffected.
We have contacted all our dealers, but not all of them are operating during the F&M problem - hence this direct appeal. It is also possible that pilots have imported gliders from outside the UK, and we want them to be aware of the potential problem. Whilst this sort of thing is embarrassing, it is our policy to be open and honest about it, and to sort it out as soon as possible.
Unfortunately, the assembly error is only visible in the air. The faulty glider had a big wrinkle just before the D-lines over the hole span. A normal Matrix L would only have a few small wrinkles on D. We will return all these gliders to Germany to be test flown, after which owners =
can be sure they have tested and safe gliders conforming to the original DHV 1/2 certification.
Cheers,
Simon Murphy
Firebird UK
simon@firebirduk.com
www.firebirduk.com
+44 (0) 1404 891685

Reported on 27/04/2001 by Marcus King


	Saturday, 23rd November, 2024