EASA AD BR-2020-09-01
Stabilizers - Control Surface Mass-balance Weights and Attachments - Inspection / Replacement
Summary
Brazilian Airworthiness Directive 2020-09-01 is an official regulatory document issued by the Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) applicable to all Embraer EMB-505 airplanes. It mandates inspection, cleaning, weighting, and replacement of mass-balance weights and attachments on stabilizers' control surfaces including elevators, ailerons, and rudder to address corrosion issues. The directive also requires updating the approved maintenance or inspection program to include these tasks as airworthiness limitations.
What Changed
This directive cancels and supersedes the previous EAD 2020-01-01 and expands the applicability to additional aircraft serial numbers. It introduces more restrictive criteria for the minimum weight limits of affected part numbers and mandates new inspection intervals and maintenance requirements. The directive also incorporates updated service bulletin revisions and detailed compliance timelines based on aircraft groups and age.
Why It Matters
This directive is critical for aviation professionals because corrosion in mass-balance weights can cause unbalanced control surfaces, potentially leading to flutter and loss of airplane control. Operators and maintenance organizations must comply to ensure flight safety and regulatory conformity. The updated maintenance program requirements and inspection intervals help prevent unsafe conditions and reduce the risk of in-flight control surface failures.
What To Do
Operators of Embraer EMB-505 aircraft must perform inspections, cleaning, weighting, and replacement of mass-balance weights and attachments as specified in Embraer Service Bulletin 505-55-A004 revisions 5 or 6 and SB505-55-0004 revision 1. Compliance deadlines vary by aircraft group and age, ranging from within 3 days or 5 flight hours to up to 60 months after the directive's effective date of 2020-09-08. Maintenance programs must be updated within 10 days after 2020-01-09 to include new airworthiness limitations.
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