Ad/Ab139/7 Amdt 1 - Tail Boom Assembly (Cth)
AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE
On the effective date specified below, and for the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below revokes Airworthiness Directive (AD) AD/AB139/7 and issues the following AD under subregulation 39.001(1) of CASR 1998. The AD requires that the action set out in the requirement section (being action that the delegate considers necessary to correct the unsafe condition) be taken in relation to the aircraft or aeronautical product mentioned in the applicability section: (a) in the circumstances mentioned in the requirement section; and (b) in accordance with the instructions set out in the requirement section; and (c) at the time mentioned in the compliance section.
Agusta AB139 and AW139 Series Helicopters
| AD/AB139/7 Amdt 1 | Tail Boom Assembly | 11/2009 DM |
Applicability: | All Model AB139 and AW139 helicopters, all serial numbers. |
Requirement: | Action in accordance with the requirements of EASA AD 2009-0198-E. Note: Agusta Alert Technical Bulletins 139-193 original issue and 139-194 original issue, or later EASA approved revisions, refer. |
Compliance: | As specified in the Requirement document, with a revised effective date of |
| This Amendment becomes effective on 9 September 2009. | |
Background: | Some operators of AB/AW139 helicopters reported finding debonding of fuselage tail boom panels. This condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to the structural collapse of the tail boom installation, resulting in loss of control of the helicopter. Amendment 1 is issued in response to a new EASA AD, which requires repetitive inspections of the tail boom panels at reduced intervals and, dependent upon the inspection result, accomplishment of relevant corrective actions. The new EASA AD was prompted by an accident, where during the taxiing phase, the tail boom of an AW139 helicopter bent and collapsed. The root cause of this accident is still unknown and under investigation. |
David Villiers
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority
7 September 2009
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