EASA AD No.: 20 15 - 0 079

TE. CAP.0011 0 - 00 4 © European Aviation Safety Agency. All rights reserved. 1 / 3 Proprietary document. Copies are not controlled. Confirm revision status through the EASA - Internet/Intranet. 

## EASA AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No . : 20 15 - 0 0 79

Date: 0 7 M ay 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 ope rate an aircraft to which an AD applies, except in accordance with the requ irements 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 ]

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### Design Approval Holder’s Name: AIRBUS Type/Model designation(s): A330 and A340 aeroplanes TCDS Number: EASA.A.004, EASA.A.015 F oreign AD: Not applicable Supersedure: This AD supersedes EASA AD 2014 - 0066 dated 14 March 2014 , including its

C orrect ion dated 20 March 2014

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### ATA 32 Landing Gear – Main Landing Gear Side Stay Upper Cardan Pin – Inspection Manufacturer(s): Airbus (formerly Airbus Industrie) Applicability: This AD applies to: 1. Airbus A330 - 201, A330 - 202, A330 - 203, A330 - 223, A330 - 223F , A330 - 243, A330 - 243F , A330 - 301, A330 - 302, A330 - 303, A330 - 321, A330 - 322, A330 - 323, A330 - 341, A330 - 342 and A330 - 343 aeroplanes, all ma nufacturer serial numbers (MSN) , and 2. Airbus A340 - 211, A340 - 212, A340 - 213, A340 - 311, A340 - 312, A340 - 313 , A340 - 541, A340 - 542, A340 - 642 and A340 - 643 aeropla nes, all MSN , except aeroplanes on which an upper cardan pin on a Main Landing Gear (MLG) ha s never been replaced or re - installed since first entry into service of the aeroplane. Reason: An A330 aeroplane equipped with Basic MLG was rolling out after landing when it experienced a nose wheel steering fault (unrelated to the safety subject addressed by this AD), which resulted in the crew stopping the aeroplane on the taxiway after vacating the runway. The subsequent investigation revealed that the right - hand MLG sidestay upper cardan pin had migrated out of position. The sidestay upper cardan nut and retainer had detached from the upper cardan pin and were found , still bolted together, in the landing ge ar bay. Prompted by these findings , Airbus published Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) A32L003 - 14, providing inspection instructions and, as an interim solution , EASA issued AD 2014 - 0066 to require repetitive detailed inspectionsEASA AD No.: 20 15 - 0 079

TE. CAP.0011 0 - 00 4 © European Aviation Safety Agency. All rights reserved. 2 / 3 Proprietary document. Copies are not controlled. Confirm revision status through the EASA - Internet/Intranet. (DET) of the MLG upper cardan pin, nut and retainer. Th at AD also require d accomplishment of a one - time gap check between wing rear spar fitting lugs and the bush flanges and, depending on findings, corrective action(s)

. The gap check (including corrections, as necessary) termin ated the repetitive DET. Since that AD was issued, further investigation concluded that the reported MLG sidestay upper cardan pin migration event had been caused by corrosion, due t o l ack of jointing compound and inadequate sealant application during MLG installation

. Therefore, this issue affects any MLG that had an upper cardan pin replacement or re - installation, irrespective of MLG overhaul. Any corrosion on the upper cardan pin and nut threads would not have been detected during the previous ly required DET

. This condition, if not detected and corrected, could lead to a complete migration of the sidestay upper cardan pin and a disconnection of the sidestay upper arm from the aeroplane structure, possibly resulting in MLG collapse with consequent damage to the aeroplane and injury to occupants. To address this potential unsafe condition, Airbus published Service Bulletin (SB) A330 - 32 - 3269, SB A340 - 32 - 4301 and SB A340 - 32 - 5115 providing inspection instructions

. In addition, to prevent any improper re - installation of an upper cardan pin on a MLG , Airbus amended the applicable Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) on 01 October 201 4

. For the reasons described above, this AD supersedes EASA 2014 - 0066 and requires a one - time DET of the MLG upper cardan pin and nut threads to check for corrosion or damage on the upper cardan pin and nut threads, and , depending on finding s , replace ment of the damaged part (s)

. As this unsafe condition could also develop on A330 freighters and A340 - 500/ - 600 aeroplanes , this AD also applies to those aeroplanes

. Effective Date: 2 1 May 2015 Required A ction(s) and Compliance Time(s) : Required as indicated, unless accomplished previously: For the purpose of this AD, a n upper cardan pin on a MLG is affected if it has been installed as replacement part, or re - installed since first entry into service of the aeroplane AND if this action was accomplished using the applicable Airbus AMM at a revision dated prior to 01 October 2014

. (1) Fo r an affected upper cardan pin on an MLG, b efore exceeding 96 m onths since its la te st installation on an aeroplane, or within 12 months after the effective date of this AD, whichever occurs later, accomplish a DET of the upper cardan pin and nut threads, in accordance with the instructions of Airbus SB A330 - 32 - 3269 , or SB A340 - 32 - 4301 , or SB A340 - 32 - 5115 , as applicable to aeroplane type and model. (2) If, during the DET as required by paragraph (1) of this AD, any corrosion, pitting or thread damage is detected , before next flight, replace the upper cardan pin and/or nut, as applicable, in accordance with the instructions of Airbus SB A330 - 32 - 3269 , or SB A340 - 32 - 4301 , or SB A340 - 32 - 5115, as applicable to aeropla ne type and model. Ref. Public ations: Airbus SB A330 - 32 - 3269 at original issue dated 17 February 2015. Airbus SB A3 4 0 - 32 - 4301 at original issue dated 17 February 2015. Airbus SB A3 4 0 - 32 - 5115 at original issue dated 17 February 2015. 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 27 Febru ary 2015 as PAD 1 5 - 018 for consultationEASA AD No.: 20 15 - 0 079

TE. CAP.0011 0 - 00 4 © European Aviation Safety Agency. All rights reserved. 3 / 3 Proprietary document. Copies are not controlled. Confirm revision status through the EASA - Internet/Intranet. until 13 March 2015 . 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, 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: AIRBUS

– Airworthiness Office

– EIAL, E - mail: airworthiness.A330 - A340@airbus.com

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