EASA AD 2021-0038
SUPERSEDED BY EASA AD 2024-0177
Summary
EASA Airworthiness Directive 2021-0038 is an airworthiness directive issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency affecting all Airbus Helicopters EC 175 B models. It mandates compliance with updated airworthiness limitations and maintenance tasks related to specific lead lag damper components and associated parts. The directive ensures continued airworthiness by requiring recalculation of flight hours and torque cycles and adherence to revised maintenance intervals.
What Changed
EASA Airworthiness Directive 2021-0038 supersedes the previous AD 2019-0285 and introduces amendments to the Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) for the EC 175 B helicopter. It removes penalty factors related to Flight in Limited Icing Conditions by introducing a 2% flight time exposure in the basic usage spectrum, affecting service life limits and inspection intervals for certain components. Additionally, it requires recalculation of logged flight hours and torque cycles according to new usage parameters.
Why It Matters
This directive is critical for operators and maintenance organizations to ensure the safe operation of EC 175 B helicopters by enforcing updated maintenance schedules and life limits. Failure to comply could lead to unsafe conditions due to overlooked component wear or inspection delays. Compliance teams must update maintenance programs to reflect the revised airworthiness limitations to maintain regulatory conformity and aircraft safety.
What To Do
Operators must recalculate accumulated flight hours and torque cycles for affected parts within 30 days of the directive's effective date. They must replace components before exceeding new life limits and perform all maintenance tasks within specified intervals as outlined in the updated ALS. Additionally, the approved Aircraft Maintenance Programme must be revised within 12 months to incorporate these changes, and any discrepancies found during maintenance must be corrected before further flight.
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