AD 2013-05-22 Airworthiness Directives; Agusta S.p.A. Helicopters

This AD becomes effective April 30, 2013.

(1) The Manager, Safety Management Group, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this AD. Send your proposal to: Gary Roach, Aviation Safety Engineer, Regulations and Policy Group, Rotorcraft Directorate, FAA, 2601 Meacham Blvd., Fort Worth, Texas 76137; telephone (817) 222-5110; email gary.b.roach@faa.gov. (2) For operations conducted under a 14 CFR part 119 operating certificate or under 14 CFR part 91, subpart K, we suggest that you notify your principal inspector, or lacking a principal inspector, the manager of the local flight standards district office or certificate holding district office, before operating any aircraft complying with this AD through an AMOC.

The subject of this AD is addressed in European Aviation Safety Agency AD No. 2006-0228-E, dated July 27, 2006.

(1) Before further flight, inspect the link assembly for freedom of movement while it is installed on the helicopter. If rotation resistance or binding occurs, before further flight, remove the link assembly from the helicopter, and either: (i) Replace it with an airworthy link assembly with a “T” marked after the serial number, or (ii) Inspect the link assembly for the torsion value force of the ball bearing rotation, in accordance with paragraph (e)(2) of this AD. (2) If there is no rotation resistance or binding found during the inspection required by paragraph (e)(1) of this AD that required an immediate torsion value force inspection, within 5 hours TIS, remove the link assembly from the helicopter and inspect the torsion value force of the ball bearing rotation by referring to Figure 1 and following the Compliance Instructions, Part II, paragraphs 3. through 3.2, of Agusta Alert Bollettino Tecnico (ABT) No. 109S-5, dated July 26, 2006, for Model A109S helicopters; ABT No. 109EP-70, dated July 27, 2006, for Model A109E helicopters; ABT No. 109K-47, dated July 27, 2006, for Model A109K2 helicopters; ABT No. 109-122, dated July 27, 2006, for Model A109, A109A, A109A II, and A109C helicopters; or ABT No. 119-15, dated July 27, 2006, for Model A119 helicopters. (i) If the torsion value force of the ball bearing in either end of the link assembly is greater than 7.30 N, the link assembly is unairworthy. (ii) If the torsion value force of the ball bearing in both ends of the link assembly is equal to or less than 7.30 N, after cleaning the link assembly stem using aliphatic naphtha, or equivalent, and a soft non-metallic bristle brush, inspect all 4 (four) faces of the stem of the link assembly for a crack using a 10x or higher magnifying glass. If you cannot determine whether there is a crack in the stem of the link assembly by using a 10x or higher magnifying glass, conduct a dye penetrant inspection by referring to Figure 1 and following the Compliance Instructions, Part II, paragraphs 6. through 6.7, of the ABT that is applicable to your model helicopter. If a crack is found, the link assembly is unairworthy. (3) For a link assembly which has been inspected in accordance with paragraph (e)(2) of this AD and determined to be unairworthy, before further flight, replace the link assembly with an airworthy link assembly. Only a link assembly with a “T” marked after the serial number, documenting that the link assembly has been inspected for a crack, is eligible for installation.

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a failure of the tail rotor pitch control link assembly, P/N 109-0130-05-117. This condition could result in failure of the tail rotor pitch control link and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.