EASA AD No.: 2011-0011

EASA Form 110 Page 1/4 

## EASA AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No.: 2011- 0011

Date: 21 January 2011

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 participat e 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 a ccomplishing any applicable ADs. Consequently, no person may opera te an aircraft to which an AD applies, except in accordance with t he requirements of that AD, unless otherwise specified by the Ag ency [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) exemptio n]. 

### Type Approval Holder’s Name :
AIRBUS Type/Model designation(s) : A319, A320 and A321 aeroplanes

TCDS Number : EASA A.064

Foreign AD : Not applicable

Supersedure : This AD supersedes EASA AD 2007-02 13 dated 07 August 2007.



### ATA 57 Wings – Outer Wing Main Landing Gear Support Rib 5 Fitting – Inspection / Modification

Manufacturer(s): Airbus (formerly Airbus Industrie)

Applicability: Airbus A319-111, A319-112 , A319-113, A319-114, A319-115, A319-131, A319-132, A319-133, A320-111, A320 -211, A320-212, A320-214, A320-231, A320-232, A320-233, A321-111, A321 -112, A321-131, A321-211, A321-212, A321-213, A321-231 and A321-232 aeropl anes, all manufacturer serial numbers, except aeroplanes on which Airbus modification 32025 has been embodied in production on Left-Hand (LH) and Right-Hand (RH) wings.
Reason: Several cases of corrosion of the Main Landing Gear (MLG) support Rib 5 fitting lug bores have been reported on A320 family aeroplanes. In some instances, corrosion pits caused the cr acking of the forward lug (sometimes through its complete thickness). If not detected, the cracking may lead to the complete failure of the fitting and thus c ould affect the structural integrity of the MLG installation.
EASA AD 2007-0213 was issued to addres s this condition and required a repetitive inspection program of the MLG support Rib 5 fitting forward lugs and, as terminating action, the embodiment of Airbus Service Bulletin (SB) A320-57-1118. After that AD was issued, a case of Rib 5, ruptured at the 4 o’clock position, was discovered on an aeropl ane on which the terminating action of EASA AD 2007-0213 had already been embodied in accordance with Airbus SB A320-57-1118. Investigation of that case revealed t hat corrosion damage and cracking that should have been removed by repair machining was below the level of detectability of the Non De structive Test (NDT) tec hnique that cleared theEASA AD No.: 2011-0011

EASA Form 110 Page 2/4 surfaces prior to bush installation. This condition, if not detected and corr ected, could affect the structural integrity of the aeroplane. It has also been established that all A318 aeroplanes have had Airbus modification 32025 embodied in production on both LH and RH wings, which is a one-way interchangeable (non-rev ersible) modification. Consequently, the unsafe condition addressed by AD 2007-0213 cannot occur or develop on those aeroplanes. For the reasons described above, this AD, which supersedes EASA AD 2007-0213: - retains the requirem ents of EASA AD 2007-0213 for aeroplanes on which

the MLG Rib Bushes have not been modified/repaired in accordance with the instructions of Airbus SB A320-57-1118, or Airbus SRM 57-26-13, or the identified Airbus Repair Instructions, as applicable, and

- requires, for all aeroplanes on which Airbus SB A320-57-1118 has been

embodied in service, or on which Airbus SRM 57-26-13 or the identified Airbus Repair Instructions have been applied, a repetitive inspection program of the MLG support Rib 5 fitting forward lugs and, depending on findings, the accomplishment of the associated corrective actions, and

- reduces the Applicability by deleting A318 aeroplanes.

Effective Date: 04 February 2011

Required Action(s) and Compliance Time(s): Required as indicated, unless already accomplished: For the purpose of this AD :
- “ Action A ” is defined as the modification of the MLG Rib Bushes in accordance with the instructions of Airbus SB A320-57-1118 at any revision - “ Action B ” is defined as the repair of the MLG Support Rib 5 fitting in accordance with: - Airbus A319 Structural Repair Manual (SRM) 57-26-13 paragraph 5.C
or - Airbus A320/A321 SRM 57-26-13 paragraph 5.D, or - Airbus Repair Instruction R572-58376 at issue C. - “ Action C ” is defined as the replacement in service of the MLG Support Rib 5 in accordance with: - Airbus Repair Instructions R572-58507 and R572-58209, or - Airbus Repair Instructions R572-45020 and R572-45019. (1) Within the threshold indicated in Table 1 of this AD, as applicable, inspect the forward lug of each LH and RH MLG support Rib 5 fitting on which none of the actions, Action A, B or C as outlined above, has been performed, in accordance with the instructions of Airbus SB A320-57-1138 Revision 01. Thereafte r, repeat the inspection at intervals not to exceed those defined in Paragraph 1.E.(2)(a)3 of Airbus SB A320-57-1138 Revision 01, as applicable.
Table 1 – Inspection Threshold
Aeroplane type(s) Compliance Time

A319 and A320 • within 150 flight cycles (FC) following the last visual inspection carried out in compliance with EASA AD 2007-0213, or

• within 940 FC following the last ultrasonic

inspection carried out in compliance with EASA AD 2007-0213, or

• before next flight following a hard landing.EASA AD No.: 2011-0011

EASA Form 110 Page 3/4 A321 • within 100 FC following the last visual inspection carried out in compliance with EASA AD 2007-0213, or

• within 630 FC following the last ultrasonic

inspection carried out in compliance with EASA AD 2007-0213, or

• before next flight following a hard landing.

(2) If, during any inspection as require d by paragraph (1) of this AD, any discrepancy (as defined in Airbus SB A320-57-1138 Revision 01) is found, apply the associated corrective actions in accordance with the instructions and within the applicable compliance time, as defined in Paragraph 1.E.(2)(a)3 of Airbus SB A320-57-1138 Revision 01. (3) Except for aeroplanes on which LH and RH MLG Rib 5 fittings have been replaced in accordance with Action C , within 5 years after 21 August 2007 [the effective date of EASA AD 2007-0213], modify the MLG Rib Bushes in accordance with the instructions of Airbus SB A320-57-1118 Revision 03 or a later approved revision. (4) Modification of a MLG Rib 5 support fitting as required by paragraph (3) of this AD constitutes term inating action for the inspection requirements of paragraph (1) of this AD for that MLG Rib 5 support fitting. (5) Within the threshold indicated in Table 2 of this AD, as applicable, perform a detailed visual inspection of the forward lug of each LH and RH MLG support rib 5 fitting on which one of the actions, Action A or B
, has been performed, in accordance with the instructions of Airbus Alert SB A320-57A1166. Thereafter, repeat the inspection at intervals not to exceed 500 FC.
Table 2 – Detailed visual inspection threshold

Compliance Time - whichever occurs later:

• Within 2 000 FC after modification of the MLG support Rib 5

fitting in accordance with Action A or as required by paragraph (3) of this AD, or after repair of the MLG support Rib 5 fitting in accordance with Action B , as applicable,

or

• Within 250 FC, without exceeding 3 months, after the

effective date of this AD.

(6) If, during any inspection as require d by paragraph (5) of this AD, any discrepancy (as defined in Airbus Alert SB A320-57A1166) is found, before next flight, contact Airbus for approved corrective action instructions and accomplish thos e instructions accordingly. (7) Replacement of a MLG Support Rib 5 fitting at any position (LH or RH) in accordance with Action C constitutes terminating action for the inspection requirements of paragraph (1) or (5) of this AD, as applicable, for the MLG Support Rib 5 fitting at that position.

Ref. Publications: Airbus SB A320-57-1118 Revision 03.
Airbus SB A320-57-1138 Revision 01. Airbus Alert SB A320-57A1166 Original issue. Airbus Repair Instructions R572-5 8376 Issue C, R572-58507 Issue A, R572-58209 Issue A, R572-45020 Issue A and R572-45019 Issue A.EASA AD No.: 2011-0011

EASA Form 110 Page 4/4 The use of later approved revisions or issues 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. The required actions and the risk allowance have granted the issuance of a Final AD with Request for Comments, postponing the public consultation process after publication. 3. Enquiries regarding this AD should be referred to the Airworthiness Directives, Safety Management & Re search Section, Certification Directorate, EASA. E-mail ADs@easa.europa.eu 4. For any question concerning the tec hnical content of the requirements in this AD, please contact: AIRBUS – Airworthiness Office – EAS, Fax +33 5 61 93 44 51, E-mail: account.airworth-eas@airbus.com