AD/Ecureuil/100 Amdt 1 Emergency Floatation Gear All-up Operating Weight (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/ECUREUIL/100 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.

Eurocopter AS 350 (Ecureuil) Series Helicopters

AD/ECUREUIL/100 Amdt 1 Emergency Floatation Gear - All-up Operating Weight 9/2005

Applicability:

Model AS 350 BA helicopters equipped with Aerazur emergency floatation gear comprising:

Left hand container assembly 158170 or 158210-1, and right hand side container assembly158171 or 158215-1.

The containers are part of the “emergency floatation gear” installations, with removable parts, part number 350A82-8040-00 or part number 350A82-8040-01.

Requirement:

For all flights over water, except when operating within autorotative gliding distance of land, the all-up operating weight of helicopters equipped with the emergency floatation gear specified in the applicability section of this directive is limited to 1950 kg, as specified in Eurocopter AS 350 Alert Service Bulletin No. 01-00-55.

However, flight over water at weights in excess of 1950 kg is permissible if the all up weight of the aircraft can be reduced to a maximum of 1950 kg by jettisoning an underslung load.

Note:  DGAC Emergency AD UF-2004-085 refers.

Compliance:

Before further flight after 23 June 2004, unless already accomplished.

This Amendment becomes effective on 1 September 2005.

Background:

The original issue of this Directive, effective on 23 June 2004, was issued to limit the helicopter all-up weight to 1,950 kg, for all flights over water, for AS 350 BA helicopters equipped with Aerazur emergency floatation gear specified in the applicability part of this Directive.

This amendment is issued to allow operation at all-up weights greater than 1950 kg for operations over water where the underslung load is jettisonable or the helicopter is flown within autorotative gliding distance from land.  The requirements of CAO 20.11 Section 5.3 “Helicopter Floatation Systems” still apply and are not affected by this AD.  There is no change to the compliance time in this amendment.

David Villiers
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority

21 July 2005