Airworthiness DirectiveSupersededEASA AD 2020-0258

Landing Gear – Main Landing Gear Sliding Tubes – Inspection

Superseded. Comply with 2021-0175, which replaces this document.

Published: Nov 19, 2020
Effective: Dec 2, 2020
Deadline: Dec 2, 2020
Replaces: 2018-0136

Airbus A318

AI-generated summary of the official EASA document. Verify against the PDF before acting.

What to do

Operators of Airbus A318, A319, and A320 aircraft with affected MLG sliding tubes must perform general visual inspections within specified compliance times—within 500 flight cycles after July 10, 2018, for the first batch, and within 100 flight cycles after the AD effective date for the second batch. Inspections must then be repeated every 500 flight cycles. Any detected cracks require immediate replacement of the affected part before further flight. Overhaul or replacement of affected parts after specified dates will terminate inspection requirements.

Summary

EASA Airworthiness Directive 2020-0258 is an airworthiness directive addressing the inspection and maintenance of main landing gear (MLG) sliding tubes on Airbus A318, A319, and A320 aircraft. It applies to specific batches of MLG sliding tubes identified by part and serial numbers that may have been improperly inspected during overhaul, potentially leading to fatigue cracks and MLG collapse. This directive mandates repetitive visual inspections and corrective actions to ensure continued airworthiness.

What changed

EASA Airworthiness Directive 2020-0258 supersedes the previous AD 2018-0136 and expands the scope to include additional affected MLG sliding tubes identified after the original directive. It retains the inspection requirements from the earlier AD and introduces new inspection and replacement requirements for a second batch of affected parts. The directive also corrects typographical errors from the previous publication.

Why it matters

This directive is critical for aviation professionals because it addresses a safety risk involving potential fatigue fractures in the main landing gear sliding tubes, which could lead to landing gear collapse and endanger aircraft and occupants. Operators and maintenance organizations must comply to prevent accidents and ensure regulatory compliance. The directive also clarifies installation rules and terminating actions to manage affected parts effectively.

More for Airbus A318

All 189

Get the next one by email

New ADs and bulletins for Airbus A318, A319 and A320, summarized like this page, every Monday.