EASA AD No.: 2012-0085-E

CAP.00111-001 © European Aviation Safety Agency. Al l rights reserved. 1/3 Proprietary document. Copies are not controlled. Co nfirm revision status through the EASA-Internet/Int ranet. 

## EASA EMERGENCY AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No.: 2012-0085-E

Date: 17 May 2012

Note: This Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) i s issued by EASA, acting in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 on behalf of the E uropean 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 en sured by accomplishing any applicable ADs. Conseque ntly, no person may operate an aircraft to which an AD applies, except in accordan ce with the requirements of that AD, unless otherwi se 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, A rticle 14(4) exemption].



### Design Approval Holder’s Name: Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH Type/Model designation(s): EC 135 and EC 635 helicopters

TCDS Number: EASA.R.009

Foreign AD: Not applicable

Supersedure: This AD supersedes EASA AD 2012-0041R1 dated 15 March 2012.



### ATA 62 Main Rotor System – Main Rotor Hub – Inspection / R eplacement

Manufacturer(s): Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH (ECD), Eurocopter España S.A., Eurocopter S.A.

Applicability: EC 135 P1(CDS), EC 135 P1(CPDS), EC 135 P2(CPDS), EC 135 P2+, EC 135 T1(CDS), EC 135 T1(CPDS), EC 135 T2(CPDS), E C 135 T2+, EC 635 T1(CPDS), EC 635 P2+ and EC 635 T2+ helicopt ers, all serial numbers.

Reason: During a periodical inspection of an EC 135 helicop ter, a crack was detected on the lower hub-shaft flange of a main rotor hub (MRH ) shaft. The investigation is on-going and the cause of the cracking has not been determined yet. This condition, if not detected, could lead to furt her crack propagation, possibly resulting in main rotor hub failure and consequent loss of the helicopter. To address this condition, EASA issued AD 2012-0041 -E. Since issuance of that AD, further cracks have been detected on the lower hub shaft flange of two other helicopters during accomp lishment of the pre-flight checks. In addition, it has been determined that th e identification of deformed safety pins may not be sufficient to detect the cra cks on the MRH shaft. To address this condition, ECD developed new inspec tion procedures. For the reasons described above, this AD requires: Repetitive pre-flight visual inspections of the mai n rotor blades attachment area in the upper and lower hub-shaft flanges, and repet itive visual inspection on theEASA AD No.: 2012-0085-E

CAP.00111-001 © European Aviation Safety Agency. Al l rights reserved. 2/3 Proprietary document. Copies are not controlled. Co nfirm revision status through the EASA-Internet/Int ranet. upper and lower hub-shaft flanges and the blade bol t area. This AD also requires reporting of any findings to ECD.

This AD is considered to be an interim action and f urther AD action may follow.

Effective Date: 18 May 2012

Required Action(s) and Compliance Time(s): Required as indicated, unless already accomplished: (1) Within 3 days after the effective date of this AD and thereafter, before each flight, accomplish a pre-flight visual inspect ion in accordance with the instructions of section 3.B.Part 1 of ECD Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) No. EC135-62A-029 Revision 1. The flight duration between 2 pre-flight inspection s must not exceed 6 Flight Hours (FH). Note: The repetitive pre-flight inspections of this AD may be accomplished by the flight crew or the pilot-owner in accordance with the provisions of Part M and Part 145. Compliance of ea ch pre-flight inspection as required by paragraph (1) of this AD should be recorded in the log book of the helicopter. (2) Upon accumulation of 400 FH by the MRH since fi rst MRH installation on a helicopter, or within 10 FH, whichever occurs lat er after the effective date of this AD, and, thereafter, at intervals not to exceed 10 FH, perform: a visual inspection of the upper and lower hub-shaf t flanges in accordance with the instructions of section 3.B.Par t 2 of ECD ASB No. EC135-62A-029 Revision 1, and a visual inspection of blade bolt area in accordanc e with section 3.B.Part 3 of ECD ASB No. EC135-62A-029 Revision 1. (3) If, during any of the inspections required by p aragraph (1) and (2) of this AD, cracks are detected, before next flight, replac e the MRH with a serviceable unit. (4) Replacement of a MRH as required by paragraph ( 3) of this AD does not constitute terminating action for the repetitive in spections as required by paragraph (1) and (2) of this AD. (5) Within 1 week after replacement of the MRH as r equired by paragraph (3) of this AD, report the findings and send the re moved MRH for further investigation to ECD. (6) From the effective date of this AD, do not inst all a MRH that has accumulated more than 400 FH since first installati on on an helicopter unless it has successfully passed the inspections a s required by paragraph (2) of this AD.

Ref. Publications: Eurocopter Deutschland ASB No. EC135-62A-029 Revisi on 1, dated 16 May 2012. The use of later approved revisions of this documen t is acceptable for compliance with the requirements of this AD.

Remarks: 1. If requested and appropriately substantiated, EA SA can approve Alternative Methods of Compliance for this AD. 2. The results of the safety assessment have indica ted the need for immediate publication and notification, without the full public consultation process. 3. Enquiries regarding this AD should be referred t o the Safety Information Section, Executive Directorate, EASA. E-mail: ADs@easa.europa.eu.EASA AD No.: 2012-0085-E

CAP.00111-001 © European Aviation Safety Agency. Al l rights reserved. 3/3 Proprietary document. Copies are not controlled. Co nfirm revision status through the EASA-Internet/Int ranet. 4. For any question concerning the technical conten t of the requirements in this AD, please contact Eurocopter Deutschland GmbH

, Industriestrasse 4, 86607 Donauwörth, Federal Repub lic of Germany Telephone: + 49 (0)151-1422 8976; Facsimile: + 49 ( 0)906-71 4111.