EASA AD No : 2012-0123

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EASA AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No.: 2012-0123

Date: 09 July 2012

Note: This Airworthiness Directive (AD) is issued by EASA, acting in accordance with 

Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 on behalf of the European Community, its Member States and 

of the European third countries that participate in the activities of EASA under Article 66 of 

that Regulation.

This AD is issued in accordance with EC 1702/2003, Part 21A.3B. In accordance with EC 2042/2003 Annex I, Part M.A.301, the 

continuing airworthiness of an aircraft shall be ensured by accomplishing any applicable ADs. Consequently, no person may operate 

an aircraft to which an AD applies, except in accordance with the requirements of that AD, unless otherwise specified by the Agency 

[EC 2042/2003 Annex I, Part M.A.303] or agreed with the Authority of the State of Registry [EC 216/2008, Article 14(4) exemption]

Type Approval Holder’s Name :

CFM International SA

Type/Model designation(s) :

CFM56-5 and -5B Engines

TCDS Number : EASA.E.003 and EASA.E.067

Foreign AD : Not applicable

Supersedure : None

ATA 73 Engine Fuel and Control – Hydro-Mechanical Units – Operational 

Limitation

Manufacturer(s): SNECMA, General Electric

Applicability: CFM International CFM56-5 and CFM56-5B engines, all Models, all serial 

numbers, when installed on an aeroplane operated under an air operator 

certificate issued by a national aviation authority of the Commonwealth of 

Independent States, i.e. Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Kazakhstan, 

Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Ukraine or

Uzbekistan.

These engines are known to be installed on, but not limited to, Airbus A318, 

A319, A320 and A321 aeroplanes.

Reason: Over the past 18 months, some A320 family aeroplanes, operated 

predominantly using TS-1 fuel, have experienced in-flight shut downs (IFSD) 

resulting from hydro-mechanical unit (HMU) failures. TS-1 fuel is mainly 

supplied in countries belonging to the Commonwealth of Independent States.

Investigation results have determined that these HMU failures were caused 

by corrosion and consequential seizure of the HMU delta-p valve. In addition,

contaminants and corrosive catalysts have been detected within some TS-1 

fuel samples.

This condition, if not corrected, could lead to an increased IFSD rate, 

increasing the risk of an emergency landing, possibly resulting in damage to 

the aeroplane and injury to the occupants.

For the reasons described above, this AD prohibits the operational use of an 

HMU which has exceeded a certain number of hours in service.

Effective Date: 23 July 2012
EASA AD No : 2012-0123

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Required Action(s) 

and Compliance 

Time(s):

Required as indicated, unless accomplished previously:

(1) From 24 months after the effective date of this AD, do not operate an 

engine with an HMU that has accumulated more than 10 000 hours, to 

be determined in accordance with the following criteria, whichever occurs 

later, (a), (b) or (c):

(a) engine hours since new,

(b) engine hours since last HMU overhaul,

(c) engine hours since last HMU maintenance in accordance with 

Section 3 Accomplishment Instructions of CFM International SB 

CFM56-5B 73-0122 (any revision), or CFM International SB CFM56-

5 73-0182 (any revision), as applicable to engine type.

(2) From the effective date of this AD, do not install an HMU on an engine, 

and do not install an engine on an aircraft, where the HMU accumulated 

time in service, determined as required by paragraph (1) of this AD, 

exceeds 10 000 engine hours.

(3) The actions of paragraphs (1) and (2) of this AD are not required if it can 

be shown that the HMU has not been operated with more than 50% of 

TS-1 fuel during any 12-month period, either since new, since overhaul, 

or since last maintenance in accordance with Section 3 Accomplishment 

Instructions of CFM International SB CFM56-5B 73-0122 (any revision), 

or CFM International SB CFM56-5 73-0182 (any revision), as applicable 

to engine type, whichever occurs later.

Ref. Publications: CFM International S.A. SB CFM56-5B 73-0122 Revision 8, and

SB CFM56-5 73-0182 Revision 6, both dated 08 March 2012.

The use of later approved revisions of these documents is acceptable for 

compliance with the requirements of this AD.

Remarks : 1. If requested and appropriately substantiated, EASA can approve 

Alternative Methods of Compliance for this AD.

2. This AD was posted on 26 April 2012 as PAD 12-035 for consultation 

until 24 May 2012. The Comment Response Document can be found at 

http://ad.easa.europa.eu.

3. Enquiries regarding this AD should be referred to the Safety Information 

Section, Executive Directorate, EASA. E-mail ADs@easa.europa.eu.

4. For any question concerning the technical content of the requirements in 

this AD, please contact CFM SA Customer Support Centre,

Telephone : +33 1 64 14 88 66, Fax : +33 1 64 79 85 55

E-mail : snecma.csc@snecma.fr,

or

CFM Inc. Aviation Operations Centre,

Telephone: +1 513-552-3272, or +1 877-432-3272,

E-mail : geae.aoc@ge.com.