An owner of an Elixir Aircraft Model Elixir has a grounded airplane as of October 14, 2026. FAA Airworthiness Directive 2026-21-01, published in the Federal Register on October 13, prohibits further flight of every Model Elixir, certificated in any category, until corrective action approved by the FAA has been done. When the directive was issued, the FAA said no approved inspection or modification procedures existed.
Why
The directive was prompted by a fatal accident on a Model Elixir during a production flight. The cause is still under investigation. The European Union Aviation Safety Agency, the authority for the airplane's country of design, grounded the fleet as a precaution with EASA Emergency AD 2026-0191-E, dated October 2, 2026, pending the investigation. The FAA's directive follows it. Elixir Aircraft, of La Rochelle, France, had already issued Alert Service Bulletin ASB-633-005-R01, Revision 01, dated October 2, 2026; the directive names it as containing information on the subject, but does not require it.
The FAA states the unsafe condition plainly: if not addressed, it could result in loss of continued safe flight and landing.
What the directive requires
- Paragraph (g): as of October 14, 2026, further flight is prohibited until all applicable corrective actions have been performed using a method approved by the Manager, AIR-730, International Validation Branch, FAA.
- Paragraph (h): special flight permits under 14 CFR 21.197 and 21.199 are not allowed unless approved through the alternative method of compliance procedure in paragraph (i).
- Paragraph (i): requests for an alternative method of compliance go through 14 CFR 39.19, to the owner's principal inspector or local Flight Standards District Office.
How many, and what comes next
The FAA estimates the directive affects three airplanes of U.S. registry. Because the cause is not known, it gives no cost estimate: there are no approved inspection or modification procedures to price.
The FAA calls this directive an interim action. It was issued without prior notice and comment because the compliance time, before further flight, is shorter than a comment period. Comments are still accepted until November 27, 2026, under Docket No. FAA-2026-11804, and the FAA may change the rule because of them. If a final action is identified later, the FAA says it might consider further rulemaking.
Sources
- FAA, AD 2026-21-01, Elixir Aircraft, Federal Register, October 13, 2026 (91 FR 64753), Docket No. FAA-2026-11804. Read October 16, 2026.
- Elixir Aircraft, Alert Service Bulletin ASB-633-005-R01, Revision 01, October 2, 2026, as named in the directive. Elixir's document; not read and not reproduced here.
- Photo: Elixir 4th Generation (N001SC)_(7-29-2023).jpg) by ZLEA, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0.