Tail Rotor — Rotor Head Bearing Stack of the Spindle-Sleeve Assembly — Life Limit
- Published
- Effective
AI-generated summary of the official EASA document. Verify against the PDF before acting.
What to do
Operators of affected SA 330 and AS 332 helicopters must replace the affected tail rotor bearing stacks within 100 flight hours or 6 months after 3 January 2025, whichever occurs first, or before the part exceeds 1,000 flight hours since new, whichever is later. Installation of affected parts is permitted only if they have less than 1,000 flight hours and must be replaced before reaching that limit. Compliance must follow the instructions in the Airbus Helicopters Alert Service Bulletins AS332-05-00-0002 or SA330-05-00-0001.
Summary
EASA Airworthiness Directive 2024-0250 is an airworthiness directive affecting Airbus Helicopters SA 330 J and AS 332 C, C1, L, and L1 models. It addresses the tail rotor rotor head bearing stack of the spindle-sleeve assembly by introducing a life limit to prevent fatigue cracks and potential structural failure. The directive mandates replacement of affected bearing stacks to ensure continued safe operation of these helicopters.
What changed
This new directive introduces a life limit for the tail rotor rotor head bearing stack parts, requiring their replacement before exceeding 1,000 flight hours since first installation. It also allows installation of affected parts only if they have accumulated less than 1,000 flight hours and mandates their removal before reaching this limit. The directive is based on findings of fatigue cracks caused by degraded bearing stacks and includes instructions to return removed parts to Airbus Helicopters for further investigation.
Why it matters
This directive is critical for aviation professionals as it addresses a safety risk that could lead to loss of helicopter control due to structural failure of the tail rotor assembly. Operators and maintenance organizations must comply to prevent in-service failures and ensure regulatory compliance. The life limit requirement impacts maintenance scheduling and parts management, requiring careful tracking of flight hours on affected components.
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