FAA Grounds 41 Cessna Airplanes

The Federal Aviation Association has grounded 41 Cessna 172 and 182 airplanes until their flight control systems can be inspected.

The FAA was notified that the recently produced single-engine aircraft may have inadequate or incorrect flight control riggings, according to the FAA's emergency airworthiness directive issued Saturday.

The directive was sent to the owners and operators of the 41 aircraft, the FAA said.

Nine issues were identified through Cessna's inspection of 172 and 182 aircraft still at its Independence single-engine production plant, the FAA said in its directive.

The problems also could exist on planes produced and delivered within a certain time period. It did not specify the time period.

"We are issuing this AD to prevent loss of airplane control due to incorrect or inadequate rigging of critical flight systems," the directive said.

The planes should not be operated until the flight control systems are inspected and any problems corrected, the FAA said.

Cessna will pay for the inspections, said Karen Gordon, a spokeswoman for Textron Inc., Cessna's parent company.

Production of 172 and 182 aircraft is continuing, Gordon said.

"The FAA has certainly not shut down the line."