ROTAX 915 iS and 916 iS: The Turbocharger Service Bulletin
What ASB-2026-002 says, which engines it names, and why it is not a recall
On 3 September 2026 BRP-Rotax issued ASB-2026-002, a mandatory Alert Service Bulletin requiring replacement of the turbocharger valve housing on specific ROTAX 915 i and 916 i series engines. ROTAX found oil leaking around the housing during end-of-line testing and traced it to cracking and insufficient wall thickness from a supplier manufacturing fault. On affected installed engines the replacement is required before the next flight, and within one year at the latest. Only engines named by serial number in the bulletin's appendix are affected.
Set out by Argo Aero UK, United Kingdom dealer for Manufaktura Lotnicza - we sell aircraft powered by these engines, so read this knowing that, and read the bulletin itself at flyrotax.com, which is the only version that stays current. We do not host a copy: ROTAX revises these documents, and an out-of-date safety document is worse than none.
The bulletin in one table
| Document | ASB-2026-002, initial issue 3 September 2026 |
|---|---|
| Classification | Mandatory - ROTAX classifies it as an unsafe condition |
| Engines | ROTAX 915 i and 916 i series, specific serial numbers only |
| Part | Turbocharger valve housing, ROTAX part no. 956492 |
| Also affected | Spare turbocharger assemblies, part no. 893102, containing that valve housing |
| Action | Replace the valve housing - before next flight on affected installed engines, and within one year at the latest |
| Stored or uninstalled engines | Before delivery, or before first installation |
| Labour | A labour credit is available through your ROTAX distributor |
It is not a recall
People are searching for a ROTAX 916 recall, and the word is doing them a disservice. A recall sends the product back to the maker. A service bulletin sends a part and a procedure out to the aircraft.
Under ASB-2026-002 the aircraft stays where it is, the engine stays in it, and one component - the turbocharger valve housing - is replaced by a qualified technician. Nothing is returned, no model is withdrawn, and engines outside the serial list are not involved at all.
How to check your engine
The serial number is eight digits. It is stamped on the engine data plate and written on the first page of the engine log book. Check it against the appendix of the bulletin.
Two things people get wrong here. First, the list is not a continuous range - an engine can sit numerically between two affected serials and not be affected. Second, ROTAX notes in the bulletin that where maintenance has already been carried out the valve housing may have been changed already, so the log book matters as much as the plate.
If you would rather not work through a twenty-page PDF, send us the engine serial and we will check it against the appendix and tell you plainly whether it is listed.
What the work involves
Replacement of one part to the procedure set out in the bulletin, by a technician holding the applicable ROTAX iRMT rating. It is not an owner-maintenance job, and the removed parts are treated as unserviceable rather than kept as spares.
Worth knowing before you book it: ROTAX provides a labour credit for the work when it is done by a suitably rated technician, applied for through your ROTAX authorised distributor or one of their independent service centres. Ask about it first rather than after the invoice.
Reading any ROTAX bulletin: the four words that matter
This is the part worth keeping for next time. Every ROTAX bulletin carries a classification on its front page, and it decides everything that follows:
- Mandatory - an unsafe condition, and legally binding once an airworthiness directive is issued against it. ASB-2026-002 is here.
- Obligatory - no unsafe condition, but ROTAX requires the measures to be carried out.
- Recommended - no unsafe condition; ROTAX considers it advisable.
- Optional - an improvement, with no need to implement it.
A great many bulletins are recommended or optional, which is why treating them all as alarms is as unhelpful as ignoring them. The classification tells you which one you are holding.
Where this sits in normal servicing
A bulletin is unscheduled work. The scheduled side is unchanged: the ROTAX annual service, the periodic inspections, and a time between overhauls of 2,000 hours on the engines we fit. We cover the routine side under gyroplane maintenance and ROTAX annual service.
And for what any of it costs to keep running, the hourly figures are published - about £35 an hour in fuel, oil and servicing, with the overhaul reserve counted separately. Choosing between the two engines in the first place is a different question: ROTAX 915 iS vs 916 iS sets the two datasheets side by side.
Frequently asked questions
What is ROTAX ASB-2026-002?
An Alert Service Bulletin issued by BRP-Rotax on 3 September 2026, requiring replacement of the turbocharger valve housing (part no. 956492) on specific ROTAX 915 i and 916 i series engines. ROTAX classifies it as mandatory and as an unsafe condition. On affected installed engines the replacement is required before the next flight, and within one year at the latest. Only engines listed by serial number in the bulletin's appendix are affected.
Is the ROTAX 916 being recalled?
No, and the distinction matters. A recall returns a product to the maker. An Alert Service Bulletin instructs that a specified part be replaced on specified serial numbers, in the field, by a qualified technician - the aircraft stays where it is and the engine stays in it. ASB-2026-002 covers one part, the turbocharger valve housing, on a named list of engines. Engines not on that list are unaffected.
Which ROTAX engines are affected?
Only the specific serial numbers listed in the bulletin's appendix, across the 915 iS and 916 iS series. It is a list of individual engines, not a continuous block, so an engine can sit between two affected serials and not be affected itself. The bulletin also covers spare turbocharger assemblies, part no. 893102, which contain the same valve housing.
What was wrong with the valve housing?
ROTAX found oil leaking around the turbocharger valve housing during end-of-line testing. Investigation traced it to cracking and insufficient wall thickness from a supplier manufacturing fault. The concern is that leaking oil reaching hot exhaust components could produce smoke and, in the worst case, a fire in the engine compartment. That is why the bulletin is classified as mandatory rather than recommended.
How do I know if my engine is affected?
Check the engine serial number - eight digits, on the engine data plate and on the first page of the engine log book - against the appendix of the bulletin at flyrotax.com. Note the caveat in the bulletin itself: if maintenance has been carried out, the valve housing may already have been replaced, so the log book matters as much as the serial. Send us the serial and we will check it for you.
Who can carry out the replacement?
A technician with the applicable ROTAX iRMT rating, working to the bulletin's own procedure. A labour credit is available for work done by a suitably rated technician, applied for through your ROTAX authorised distributor or one of their independent service centres. It is not an owner-maintenance task.
Does a service bulletin have to be complied with?
It depends on the classification, which is printed on the front page. ROTAX grades them mandatory, obligatory, recommended or optional. A mandatory bulletin addresses an unsafe condition and becomes legally binding once an airworthiness directive is issued against it. ASB-2026-002 is in that category. Recommended and optional bulletins are improvements rather than safety actions.