EASA AD No.: 2010-0028

EASA Form 110 Page 1/3 

## EASA AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No.: 2010-0028

Date: 23 February 2010

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 partic ipate 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 ens ured by accomplishing any applicable ADs. Consequently, no person may operate an aircraft to which an Airworthiness Directive app lies, except in accordance with the requirements of that Airworthiness Directive 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) exemption]. 

### Type Approval Holder’s Name :
AIRBUS Type/Model designation(s) :
A340-500/-600 aeroplanes

TCDS Number : EASA.A.015

Foreign AD : Not applicable

Supersedure : None



### ATA 52 Doors – Nose Landing Gear (NLG) Aft Doors – Aft Hinge Forward (FWD) Attachment Fittings – Inspection/Replacement

Manufacturer(s): Airbus (formerly Airbus Industrie)
Applicability: Airbus A340 model -541, -542, -642 and -643 aeroplanes, all manufacturer serial numbers.

Reason: An operator has reported cracks on the aft hinge FWD fittings of the NLG aft doors (Right Hand (RH) side or Left Hand (LH) side). The cracks extended by approximately 15 millimetres from the upper hole to the edge of the fittings. Investigation has revealed that these cracks have initiated due to fatigue loads and propagated under bending load. Cracks on the NLG aft door fittings, if not corrected, could lead to the loss in flight of the door, possibly resulting in injury to persons on the ground or aeroplane damages. Consequently, in order to maintain the structural integrity of the NLG aft door aft hinge attachment fittings, this AD requires repetitive inspections of the area and fittings replacement in case of finding.

Effective Date: 09 March 2010EASA AD No.: 2010-0028

EASA Form 110 Page 2/3 Required action(s) and Compliance Time(s): Required as indicated, (1) Unless accomplished previously, Before the accumulation of 1 000 Total Flight Cycles (FC) after the aeroplane first flight, or
within 100 FC after the effective date of this AD for aeroplanes having accumulated between 1 000 total FC and 2 500 total FC after the aeroplane first flight, or
within 50 FC after the effective date of this AD for aeroplanes having exceeded 2 500 total FC after the aeroplane first flight,
perform a detailed visual inspection of the FWD attachment fittings of the NLG Aft door aft hinge, LH and RH side doors, in accordance with the instructions defined in Airbus Service Bulletin (SB) A340-52-5016.
(2) In case of no crack finding, repeat the inspection required in paragraph (1) of this AD at interval s not to exceed 500 FC from the last inspection.
(3) In case of crack finding during the initial or repetitive inspection, before further flight, perform Hi gh Frequency Eddy Current (HFEC) inspection of FWD and AFT attachment fittings of the aft hinge on the affected NLG aft door, in accordance with the instructions defined in Airbus SB A340-52-5016. (3.1) In case of additional crack finding, before further flight, replace both fittings FWD and AFT by new ones on the aft hinge of the affected NLG aft door. (3.2) In case of no additional crack finding, and in accordance with the instructions defined in Airbus SB A340-52-5016: - repeat the HFEC inspection required by paragraph (3) of this

AD at intervals not to exceed 10 FC from the last inspection, or - perform a Fluorescent Penetrant Inspection at intervals not to

exceed 3 FC from the last inspection, up to the limit of 20 FC a fter the crack identification
, when the FWD and AFT fittings replacement is required on the aft hinge of the affected NLG aft door. (4) At each replacement of the FWD fitting of the NLG aft door aft hinge as required by paragraphs (3.1) and (3.2) of this AD: Before the accumulation of 1 000 FC by the FWD fitting on an aeroplane, perform the initial inspection defined in paragraph (1) and thereafter the repetitive inspection s defined in paragraph (2) of this AD, and apply the associated corrective actions defined in paragraph (3) of this AD.

Ref. Publications: Airbus Service Bulletin (SB) A340-52-5016 at original issue. The use of later approved revisions of this document is acceptable for compliance with the requirements of this AD.EASA AD No.: 2010-0028

EASA Form 110 Page 3/3 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 te chnical content of the requirements in this AD, please contact: AIRBUS – Airworthiness Office – EAL; E-mail: airworthiness.A330-A340@airbus.com

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