FAA grounds Elixir fleet after fatal production flight accident

The FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive on Tuesday that grounds every Elixir Aircraft Model Elixir airplane. The order bars further operations until each aircraft has been brought into compliance through corrective actions the agency has approved.

The action follows an emergency directive from the European Union Aviation Safety Agency, which suspended the whole Elixir fleet on Oct. 2 while investigators try to establish what caused the accident. That European grounding came soon after the manufacturer started widening deliveries into the U.S. flight training market.

According to the FAA, the unsafe condition may exist or arise in other airplanes of the same type. The agency skipped the normal public comment period, saying safety risks could grow if the aircraft kept flying before the accident's cause is known.

Three Elixir aircraft are thought to be on the U.S. register, the FAA estimated. The directive covers all Model Elixir airplanes whatever their certification category, and generally rules out special flight permits unless they are specifically allowed under the directive's alternative compliance procedures. No approved inspection or modification procedures exist yet, so the agency said it cannot put a figure on compliance costs.

In the directive, the FAA described the AD as an interim action and said further rulemaking could follow if final action is identified later. Public comments are being accepted through Nov. 27.