AD 2012-01-01 Airworthiness Directives; Various Aircraft Equipped With Rotax Aircraft Engines 912 A Series Engine

Makes named: diamond, rotax. Read the applicability below — it usually turns on serial or part numbers too.

This AD applies to all serial numbers of the airplanes listed in table 1 of this AD, that are: (1) Equipped with a Rotax Aircraft Engines 912 A series engine, with a part number (P/N) 888164 crankshaft installed, serial numbers 40232 through 40267, 40293 through 40374, 40408 through 40433, and 40435 through 40507; and (2) Certificated in any category. Table 1—Affected Airplanes Type certificate holder Aircraft model Engine model Aeromot-Indústria Mecânico-Metalúrgica Ltda AMT-200 912 A2 Diamond Aircraft Industries HK 36 R “SUPER DIMONA” 912 A DIAMOND AIRCRAFT INDUSTRIES GmbH HK 36 TS and HK 36 TC 912 A3 Diamond Aircraft Industries Inc DA20-A1 912 A3 HOAC-Austria DV 20 KATANA 912 A3 Iniziative Industriali Italiane S.p.A Sky Arrow 650 TC 912 A2 SCHEIBE-Flugzeugbau GmbH SF 25C 912 A2

Unless already done, do the following actions. (1) Within 4 hours time-in-service after January 26, 2012 (the effective date of this AD), inspect the crankshaft for cracks. Do the inspection following the Accomplishment Instructions in Rotax Aircraft Engines BRP Alert Service Bulletin ASB-912-059 and ASB-914-042 (single document), dated November 15, 2011. (2) If any crack is found during the inspection required in paragraph (f)(1) of this AD, before further flight, remove the crankshaft from service. (3) As of January 26, 2012 (the effective date of this AD), do not install on any airplane an engine equipped with an affected P/N 888164 crankshaft listed in paragraph (c)(1) of this AD, unless the crankshaft is inspected as specified in paragraph (f)(1) of this AD and is found to be crack free. (4) As of January 26, 2012 (the effective date of this AD), do not install in any engine an affected P/N 888164 crankshaft listed in paragraph (c)(1) of this AD, unless the crankshaft is inspected as specified in paragraph (f)(1) of this AD and is found to be crack free.

The following provisions also apply to this AD: (1) Alternative Methods of Compliance (AMOCs): The Manager, Standards Office, FAA, has the authority to approve AMOCs for this AD, if requested using the procedures found in 14 CFR 39.19. Send information to ATTN: Sarjapur Nagarajan, Aerospace Engineer, FAA, Small Airplane Directorate, 901 Locust, Room 301, Kansas City, Missouri 64106; telephone: (816) 329-4145; fax: (816) 329-4090; email: sarjapur.nagarajan@faa.gov. Before using any approved AMOC on any airplane to which the AMOC applies, notify your appropriate principal inspector (PI) in the FAA Flight Standards District Office (FSDO), or lacking a PI, your local FSDO. (2) Airworthy Product: For any requirement in this AD to obtain corrective actions from a manufacturer or other source, use these actions if they are FAA-approved. Corrective actions are considered FAA-approved if they are approved by the State of Design Authority (or their delegated agent). You are required to assure the product is airworthy before it is returned to service. (3) Reporting Requirements: For any reporting requirement in this AD, a federal agency may not conduct or sponsor, and a person is not required to respond to, nor shall a person be subject to a penalty for failure to comply with a collection of information subject to the requirements of the Paperwork Reduction Act unless that collection of information displays a current valid OMB Control Number. The OMB Control Number for this information collection is 2120-0056. Public reporting for this collection of information is estimated to be approximately 5 minutes per response, including the time for reviewing instructions, completing and reviewing the collection of information. All responses to this collection of information are mandatory. Comments concerning the accuracy of this burden and suggestions for reducing the burden should be directed to the FAA at: 800 Independence Ave. SW., Washington, DC 20591, Attn: Information Collection Clearance Officer, AES-200.

This AD was prompted by mandatory continuing airworthiness information (MCAI) issued by the aviation authority of another country to identify and correct an unsafe condition on an aviation product. The MCAI describes the unsafe condition as a deviation (double side straightening) in the manufacturing process of certain P/N 888164 crankshafts that may cause cracks on the surface of the crankshaft on the power take off side, which could lead to failure of the crankshaft support bearing. We are issuing this AD to prevent failure of the crankshaft support bearing, which could result in engine failure and forced landing.

None.