COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY

SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

Bell Helicopter Textron 204 Series Helicopters

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 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/BELL 204/40 Main Gearbox - Planetary Spider 8/2000

Applicability: Model 204B with a main rotor gearbox lower planetary spider P/N 204-040-785-003 installed.

Requirement: Remove the spider from the transmission and inspect for fatigue cracking using an approved magnetic particle inspection method.

Any cracking is unacceptable.

Note: FAA AD 93-17-12 refers.

Compliance:  Unless already accomplished within the last 2 400 hours time in service, within 600 hours time in service after 29 July 1994; thereafter at intervals not exceeding 3 100 hours.

This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 10 August 2000.

Background:  A fatigue failure of the transmission spider would result in failure of the gearbox and loss of control of the helicopter. This directive also follows the re-introduction of the AD Series after sixteen years.

David Alan Villiers

Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority 6 July 2000

The above AD is notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 12 July 2000.