EASA AD No.: 2015-0040

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EASA AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No.: 2015-0040

Date: 06 March 2015

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 EU 748/2012, Part 21.A.3B. In accordance with EU 1321/2014 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 [EU 

1321/2014 Annex I, Part M.A.303] or agreed with the Authority of the State of Registry [EC 216/2008, Article 14(4) exemption].

Design Approval Holder’s Name:

EADS-CASA

Type/Model designation(s):

CN-235 aeroplanes

TCDS Number: EASA.A.186

Foreign AD: Not applicable

Supersedure: None

ATA 57 Wings – Aileron Fittings – Inspection

Manufacturer(s): EADS-CASA; formerly Construcciones Aeronáuticas S.A.(CASA)

Applicability: CN-235, CN-235-100, CN-235-200 and CN-235-300 aeroplanes, all serial 

numbers.

Reason: A CN-235 operator recently reported finding, during scheduled maintenance 

tasks, cracks on the lugs of the control rod fittings (inboard and outboard) of the

ailerons [Right Hand (RH) and Left Hand (LH) side] of two aeroplanes. At the 

time of the finding, the two affected aeroplanes had accumulated between 16 

000 and 17 000 flight hours (FH), around 6 000 flight cycles and had been in 

service for 20 years. Following the investigation results, it was determined that 

these cracks were due to stress corrosion.

This condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to aileron fittings 

failure, possibly resulting in reduced control of the aeroplane.

To address this unsafe condition and verify the integrity of the fittings, EADSCASA (Airbus Military) issued Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) CN235-57-

0001 to provide instructions for a one-time Non-Destructive (NDT) inspection of 

the affected fittings for cracks and corrosion.

For the reasons described above, this AD requires a one-time NDT inspection 

of the affected aileron fittings and, if discrepancies are detected, 

accomplishment of applicable corrective action(s).

Effective Date: 20 March 2015
EASA AD No.: 2015-0040

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Required Action(s) 

and Compliance

Time(s):

Required as indicated, unless accomplished previously:

(1) Within the compliance time as defined in Table 1 of this AD, as applicable, 

accomplish an NDT inspection of the affected aileron fittings in accordance 

with the instructions of EADS-CASA (Airbus Military) AOT-CN235-57-0001.

Table 1 – NDT Inspection

Compliance Time (whichever occurs later, A or B)

A

Before exceeding 8 000 FH or 10 years, whichever occurs first

since aeroplane first flight.

B Within 3 months after the effective date of this AD

(2) If during the inspection as required in paragraph (1) of this AD, any crack or 

corrosion is detected, before next flight, contact EADS-CASA for approved 

repair instructions and, within the compliance time indicated in those 

instructions, accomplish the repair accordingly.

Ref. Publications: EADS-CASA (Airbus Military) AOT-CN235-57-0001 original issue dated 26 

February 2014 or Revision 1 dated 14 March 2014.

The use of later approved revisions of this document 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 04 February 2015 as PAD 15-009 for consultation 

until 04 March 2015. No comments were received during the consultation 

period.

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

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

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

this AD, please contact:

EADS CASA (Airbus Military)

Services / Engineering Support 

e-mail: MTA.TechnicalService@military.airbus.com.

Fax: +34 91 585 3127

For US operators, contact alternatively:

e-mail: TechnicalSupport@airbusmilitaryna.com.