Airworthiness DirectiveEASA AD US-2022-05-04

Superseded by FAA AD 2023-12-13

Published: Feb 25, 2022
Effective: Feb 24, 2022
Deadline: Feb 24, 2022

Boeing 737

AI-generated summary of the official EASA document. Verify against the PDF before acting.

What to do

Affected operators must revise their airplane flight manuals to incorporate the specified operating procedures related to 5G C-Band interference by the effective date. They should monitor NOTAMs for 5G interference advisories and apply the new procedures during affected operations. Comments on the directive were accepted until April 11, 2022, but the AD became effective on February 24, 2022.

Summary

FAA Airworthiness Directive 2022-05-04 is a final rule addressing all Boeing 737 series airplanes except the 737-200 and -200C models equipped with the SP-77 flight control system. The directive responds to interference risks from 5G C-Band wireless broadband operations affecting radio altimeters and related aircraft systems during critical flight phases. It mandates revisions to the airplane flight manual to include specific operating procedures to mitigate these interference effects.

What changed

This new airworthiness directive requires operators to revise the limitations and operating procedures sections of the existing airplane flight manual for affected Boeing 737 models. It introduces procedures for instrument landing system approaches, speedbrake deployment, go-arounds, and missed approaches when 5G C-Band interference is present as indicated by NOTAMs. The AD expands on previous directives by addressing additional system anomalies caused by 5G interference beyond just radio altimeter limitations.

Why it matters

The directive is critical for aviation professionals because 5G C-Band interference can cause erroneous or missing indications from multiple aircraft systems, increasing pilot workload and potentially reducing the ability to safely conduct approaches and landings. Operators and maintenance teams must ensure compliance to prevent unsafe conditions that could lead to loss of safe flight and landing. Understanding and implementing the required flight manual revisions is essential for regulatory compliance and flight safety.

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