AD 2018-07-08 Airworthiness Directives; Agusta S.p.A. Helicopters

This AD becomes effective April 26, 2018.

(1) The Manager, Safety Management Section, Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, may approve AMOCs for this AD. Send your proposal to: Matt Fuller, Senior Aviation Safety Engineer, Safety Management Section, Rotorcraft Standards Branch, FAA, 10101 Hillwood Pkwy., Fort Worth, TX 76177; telephone (817) 222-5110; email 9-ASW-FTW-AMOC-Requests@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 (EASA) Emergency AD No. 2016-0173-E, dated August 24, 2016. You may view the EASA AD on the internet at http://www.regulations.gov by searching for and locating it in Docket No. FAA-2018-0170.

(1) Before further flight: (i) For Model A109E and A109K2 helicopters, remove from service any bolt P/N 709-0160-57-101 that has 800 or more hours time-in-service (TIS). If the hours TIS is unknown, remove the bolt from service. Thereafter, remove from service any bolt P/N 709-0160-57-101 before accumulating 800 hours TIS. (ii) For Model A109S, AW109SP, A119, and AW119 MKII helicopters, remove from service any bolt P/N 709-0160-57-101 that has 3,200 or more landings. If the number of landings is unknown, remove the bolt from service. Thereafter, remove from service any bolt P/N 709-0160-57-101 before accumulating 3,200 landings. For purposes of this AD, a landing is counted anytime a helicopter lifts off into the air and then lands again regardless of the duration of the landing and regardless of whether the engine is shutdown. (iii) Remove from service any bolt P/N 709-0160-57-101 that has been interchanged between different model helicopters listed in paragraphs (e)(1)(i) and (e)(1)(ii) of this AD that has 800 or more hours TIS or 3,200 or more landings. If the hours TIS or number of landings is unknown, remove the bolt from service. Thereafter, remove from service any bolt P/N 709-0160-57-101 that has been interchanged between different model helicopters listed in paragraphs (e)(1)(i) and (e)(1)(ii) of this AD before accumulating 800 hours TIS or 3,200 landings, whichever occurs first. (2) Within 25 hours TIS, remove each bolt P/N 709-0160-57-101. Prior to cleaning, using a 10X or higher power magnifying glass, visually inspect the bolt for a crack in the area depicted in Figure 1 of Leonardo Helicopters Mandatory Bollettino Tecnico Nos. 109EP-149, 109K-72, 109S-072, 109SP-105, or 119-080, all dated August 19, 2016 (BT Nos. 109EP-149, 109K-72, 109S-072, 109SP-105, or 119-080), as applicable to your model helicopter. (i) If there is a crack, replace the bolt before further flight. (ii) If there are no cracks, clean and degrease the inspection area of the bolt with solvent, and using a 10X or higher power magnifying glass, visually inspect the bolt for a crack in the area depicted in Figure 1 of BT Nos. 109EP-149, 109K-72, 109S-072, 109SP-105, or 119-080, as applicable to your model helicopter. If there is a crack, replace the bolt before further flight.

This AD defines the unsafe condition as a crack in a bolt. This condition could result in failure of the tail rotor and loss of control of the helicopter.