EASA AD 2021-0219
Landing Gear — Wing / Body Landing Gear Retraction Actuators — Modification / Replacement
Summary
EASA Airworthiness Directive 2021-0219 is an airworthiness directive issued by the European Union Aviation Safety Agency affecting Airbus A380-841, A380-842, and A380-861 aeroplanes. It addresses the wing and body landing gear retraction actuator assemblies with specific part numbers and serial numbers. The directive mandates modification or replacement of these affected parts to ensure continued airworthiness.
What Changed
This new airworthiness directive introduces requirements to modify or replace wing and body landing gear retraction actuators found to have material defects in their ball bearings. It prohibits the installation or reinstallation of affected parts unless they have been modified or replaced with serviceable parts. The directive also defines affected parts by part number and serial number and provides compliance instructions.
Why It Matters
This directive is critical for aviation professionals because the identified defect in landing gear actuators could lead to landing gear collapse, posing a serious safety risk to aircraft and occupants. Operators and maintenance organizations must ensure compliance to prevent potential accidents and maintain regulatory approval for aircraft operation. It also impacts parts management and maintenance planning due to the prohibition on installing affected parts.
What To Do
Operators of Airbus A380 aircraft with affected landing gear actuators must modify or replace these parts before they exceed 5,000 flight cycles since first installation. They must not install any affected parts on any aircraft after the effective date of 12 October 2021. Compliance with Airbus Service Bulletin A380-32-8109 or replacement with serviceable parts is required to meet this directive.
AI-generated summary from official EASA source document. Always verify against the original.