COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY
SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE
For the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below issues the following Airworthiness Directive (AD) under subregulation 39.1 (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.
Boeing 737 Series Aeroplanes
AD/B737/231 Fuselage Upper and Lower Skin Panels 12/2004
Applicability: Model 737-200, -200C, -300, -400, and -500 series aircraft; as listed in Boeing Alert Service Bulletin 737-53A1210 Revision 1, dated 25 October 2001, or a later FAA approved revision.
Requirement: Action in accordance with the technical requirements of FAA AD 2004-18-06 Amdt 39-13784.
Compliance: As specified in the Requirement document, with a revised effective date of 25 November 2004.
This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 25 November 2004.
Background: Reports were received from operators of cracks along the edges of the chem-milled pockets in the upper skin at S-12 and above the S-4, S-10, and S-14 fuselage lap joints on twelve aircraft. On at least three of the aircraft, cracks were found along the same stringer in multiple adjacent bays. Operators have also reported skin cracks below stringer 14 along bonded skin doublers on twenty five aircraft. Skin cracks in multiple adjacent bays that are not found and repaired, could join and result in sudden fracture and failure of the skin panels of the fuselage, and consequent rapid decompression of the aircraft.
David Villiers
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority 14 October 2004
The above AD is notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 3 November 2004.
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