EASA AD BR-2024-04-03R1
Fuselage - Upper Central Fuselage II, III, and IV Longitudinal Splices - Inspections
Summary
Brazilian Airworthiness Directive AD No. 2024-04-03R01 is issued by the Agência Nacional de Aviação Civil (ANAC) and applies to Embraer S.A. airplane models EMB-145 and EMB-135 series, covering all serial numbers. This directive mandates inspections of the upper central fuselage II, III, and IV longitudinal splices to detect and address fatigue damage caused by working fasteners that could compromise structural integrity.
What Changed
This AD revises and supersedes the previous AD No. 2024-04-03 by including a grace period for aircraft nearing the initial inspection flight cycle limit and adds required actions if discrepancies are found during inspections. It introduces detailed inspection procedures and repetitive inspection intervals to better identify and correct working fasteners in the affected fuselage splices.
Why It Matters
The directive is critical for maintaining the structural safety of Embraer EMB-145 and EMB-135 aircraft by preventing undetected fatigue damage that could reduce residual strength below safe levels. Operators, maintenance organizations, and compliance teams must ensure timely inspections and corrective actions to avoid potential structural failures and ensure continued airworthiness.
What To Do
Operators must perform an initial detailed inspection of the upper central fuselage longitudinal splices before 44,000 flight cycles or within 500 flight cycles if the aircraft has already exceeded 43,500 cycles as of the AD effective date. Repetitive inspections are required every 2,500 flight cycles thereafter. Inspection reports must be submitted within 96 hours after each inspection to ANAC and Embraer. Any discrepancies found must be reported to Embraer for further instructions.