EASA AD 2020-0138
Flight Controls — Elevator Control Pushrod — Inspection / Replacement
Summary
EASA Airworthiness Directive 2020-0138 is issued to address corrosion issues found in the elevator control pushrod of various Grob powered and sailplanes, including models such as ASTIR CS, TWIN ASTIR, and GROB G 103 series. The directive mandates inspection and, if necessary, replacement of the affected elevator control pushrod to ensure continued airworthiness and safe flight control operation.
What Changed
EASA AD 2020-0138 supersedes the previous AD 2020-0121 and expands the applicability to include additional Grob sailplane models prone to elevator control pushrod corrosion. It retains the inspection and replacement requirements but updates compliance times and affected aircraft groups based on new findings.
Why It Matters
This directive is critical for aviation professionals as corrosion in the elevator control pushrod can lead to structural weakening and potential failure, risking loss of control of the sailplane. Operators and maintenance organizations must ensure timely inspections and corrective actions to maintain safety and regulatory compliance.
What To Do
Affected operators must inspect the elevator control pushrod within 25 flight hours or 30 days depending on the aircraft group, following the Fiberglas-Technik TM-G09/SB-G09 instructions. If corrosion or defects are found, the pushrod must be replaced with a serviceable part before the next flight. Compliance with these actions is mandatory from 3 July 2020.
Your fleet's weekly compliance brief
AI-summarized regulatory changes, compliance deadlines, and action items — filtered to your aircraft, every Monday.
AI-generated summary from official EASA source document. Always verify against the original.