Fatigue Evaluation for Light Twin Engined Aircraft

In the past, most light twin-engined aircraft have been designed based on the fail-safe concept. The use of these type aircraft by commuter airlines indicates that a safe-life evaluation of the structure can be of use to both the manufacturer and the customer. This paper describes a program to evaluate the safe-life of a light twin-engined aircraft. The program presently being applied to the Cessna Citation executive twin jet aircraft is also presented as an example of the application of the safe-life concept to an aircraft developmental program.