COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY
SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
Airbus Industrie A319, A320 and A321 Series Aeroplanes
AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE
For the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below revokes Airworthiness Directive (AD) AD/A320/101 Amdt 1 and issues the following AD under subregulation 39.1 (1) of CAR 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.
AD/A320/101
Amdt 2
Main Landing Gear Sliding Tube 6/2000
Applicability: All Model A319, A320, and A321 aircraft, all serial numbers up to and including 0875 on which Airbus Industrie SB A320-32-1189 has not been accomplished; and which have had MLG sliding tubes:
- removed for any reason at any time, or
b. which have been inspected using NDT (NDT2), or
c. which have not had the attaching hardware and bushes removed from the sliding tube before inspection by NDT (NDT2).
Requirement: 1. Perform a detailed visual inspection of both main landing gear (MLG) sliding tubes in accordance with Airbus Industrie Service Bulletin (SB) A320-32-1189.
- If cracks are detected around the area between the jacking dome bush and the hole for the HP inflation valve or the hole for the lower electrical harness assembly, before further flight, replace the sliding tube.
b. If other cracks are detected, contact the manufacturer.
2. Raise the aircraft on jacks, remove the jacking dome, the jacking dome bush, and the harness supports. Perform a detailed visual inspection of the sliding tube sub- assembly in the area of the jacking dome bush in accordance with SB A320-32- 1189.
If cracks are detected, perform the actions of Requirement 1.a.
Note 1: Replacement of MLG absorber is an alternative means of compliance with this Directive.
Note 2: DGAC AD 1999-358-137(B) R1 refers.
COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY
SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
Compliance: 1. Within 500 hours’ time in service after 12 August 1999. Thereafter, repeat at intervals not to exceed 500 hours’ time in service.
2. Before 1 August 2000.
The Compliance of the initial Directive and Amendment 1 remains unchanged by this issue.
This Amendment becomes effective on 15 June 2000.
Background: During a maintenance inspection/overhaul process on the MLG sliding tubes, a wrongly performed NDT inspection could have led to local heating, which as a consequence, could initiate cracks. Such cracking could lead to landing gear collapse.
Amendment 1 is issued in response to a new DGAC AD which introduces on-going repetitive inspections for the main landing gear sliding tubes.
Amendment 2 provides for landing gear tubes which either have:
- not had the NDT process which may have caused damage carried out, or
- had a NDT carried out using a procedure approved subsequent to the discovery that the initial procedure may be damaging.
Amendment 1 of this Airworthiness Directive became effective on 30 December 1999.
The original issue of this Airworthiness Directive became effective on 12 August 1999.
Bernard Malcolm Hole
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority 8 May 2000
The above AD is notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 17 May 2000.