COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY
SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
Boeing 727 Series Aeroplanes
AD/B727/131
Amdt 1
Fuselage Skin Cracking 3/93
Applicability: Boeing 727-200 series aircraft, line numbers 433 to 1832 inclusive.
Requirement: Perform a detailed visual or High Frequency Eddy Current inspection for fuselage skin cracks along Stringer 1 from Body Station (BS) 1090 to BS 1110 and along the fairing attachment angle from BS 1095 to BS 1110 in accordance with Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 727-53A0204.
Note: FAA AD 91-03-19 R1 refers.
Compliance: Inspect before exceeding 3000 flights or 18 months, whichever occurs sooner, since the last inspection conducted in accordance with the original issue of this Directive. Repeat the inspection at intervals not to exceed 3000 flights or 18 months, whichever occurs sooner, or until one of the following preventative actions occurs:
(1) The aircraft is modified before cracks are found in accordance with Boeing Drawing 65C35757 or Paragraph C of the Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 727-53A0204 Revision 2 or Revision 3; or
(2) The aircraft is repaired, if cracked, in accordance with Part III, Paragraph B or Paragraph D, of the Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 727-53A0204 Revision 3.
Note: Modification or repair in this manner removes the requirement for repetitive inspection, however local repair in accordance with the Boeing Structural Repair Manual does not.
Background: The original issue of this Directive referred to FAA AD 91-03-19 which specified repetitive inspection to detect cracks of the fuselage skin under the centre engine inlet pedestal housing. This action was required to avoid the possibility of rapid decompression of the cabin. This amendment revises the existing Directive to increase the allowable number of flights between inspections and to document the option of modification or repair to remove the requirement for repetitive inspections.