EASA AD No : 2012-0005

EASA Form 110 Page 1/2 

## EASA AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No.: 2012-0005

Date: 10 January 2012

Note: This Airworthiness Directive (AD) is issued b y EASA, acting in accordance with Regulation (EC) No 216/2008 on behalf of the Europe an 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 accordance with the requirements of that AD, unl ess otherwise specified by the Agency [EC 2042/2003 Annex I, Part M.A.303] or agre ed 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) :
A330, A340-200/-300 aeroplanes

TCDS Number : EASA.A.004, EASA.A.015

Foreign AD : Not applicable

Supersedure : None



### ATA 53 Fuselage – Belly Fairing Rods – Inspection

Manufacturer(s): Airbus (formerly Airbus Industrie)

Applicability: 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 aeroplane s, all manufacturer serial numbers (MSN). Airbus A340-211, A340-212, A340-213, A340-311, A340 -312, A340-313, all manufacturer serial numbers.

Reason: A rod manufacturing process defect has been identif ied at the supplier, Technical Airborne Components Industries (TAC), whi ch could lead to cracks at the crimped end of the rod. A design review of all affected rods has demonstrat ed that rupture of rods which attach the belly fairing can lead to separati on of the belly fairing from the airframe, which would constitute an unsafe cond ition. For the reasons described above, this AD requires d etailed visual inspections of the 21 affected rods installed in th e belly fairing for manufacturer identification, and if TAC is identifi ed as manufacturer, or if the manufacturer cannot be identified, to further i nspect the rods to find any crack, using a high frequency eddy current (HFE C) method and, depending on findings, accomplishment of the applic able corrective actions, to ensure structural integrity of the bell y fairing rods. This AD also prohibits installation of an affected TAC rod as re placement part in the belly fairing to all aeroplanes.EASA AD No : 2012-0005

EASA Form 110 Page 2/2 Effective Date: 24 January 2012

Required Action(s) and Compliance Time(s): Required as indicated, unless accomplished previous ly: (1) For Airbus A330-201, A330-202, A330-203, A330-2 23, A330-223F, A330-243, A330-243F, A330-301, A330-302, A330-303, A330-321, A330-322, A330-323, A330-341, A330-342 , A330-343, A340-211, A340-212, A340-213, A340-311, A340-312, and A340-31 3 aeroplanes, from MSN 0002 to 1113 inclusive, except MSN 0996, 1 039, 1054, 1059, 1105, 1107, 1108 and 1112:
Within 72 months after the effective date of this A D, accomplish the following actions in accordance with the instructio ns of Airbus Service Bulletin (SB) A330-53-3186 Revision 01 or SB A340-5 3-4185 Revision 01, as applicable to aeroplane type: (1.1) Perform a detailed visual inspection of the 2 1 affected rods of the belly fairing, listed in SB A330-53-3186 Revisi on 01 or SB A340-53-4185 Revision 01, as applicable to aeroplan e type, for rod manufacturer identification. (1.2) If the rod manufacturer, identified as requir ed by paragraph (1.1) of this AD, is TAC, or if the manufacturer cannot b e identified, perform a HFEC inspection of the crimped end of the rod body and, if any crack is found, before next flight foll owing the HFEC inspection, do the applicable corrective actions. (1.3) Inspections and corrective actions accompl ished before the effective date of this AD, in accordance with Airbu s SB A330-53-3186 original issue or SB A340-53-4185 orig inal issue, as applicable to aeroplane type, are acceptable to comply with the requirements of paragraphs (1.1) and (1.2) of t his AD. (2) For all aeroplanes identified in the Applicabil ity section of this AD: From the effective date of this AD, do not install any affected TAC rod, listed in SB A330-53-3186 Revision 01 or SB A340-53 -4185 Revision 01, as applicable to aeroplane type, in the belly f airing unless the rod has passed the inspection as required by paragraph (1.2) of this AD.

Ref. Publications : Airbus Service Bulletin A330-53 -3186 Revision 01 dated 07 April 2011;
Airbus Service Bulletin A340-53-4185 Revision 01 da ted 07 April 2011. The use of later approved revisions of these docume nts 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. This AD was posted on 25 November 2011 as PAD 11 -056R1 for consultation until 09 December 2011. The original i ssue of PAD 11- 056 was closed for consultation on 29 June 2011. T he Comment Response Document can be found at http://ad.easa.europa.eu/

. 3. Enquiries regarding this AD should be referred t o the Safety Information Section, Executive Directorate, EASA. E-mail: ADs@easa.europa.eu

. 4. For any questions concerning the technical conte nt of the requirements in this AD, please contact: AIRBUS – A irworthiness Office – EAL; E-mail: airworthiness.A330-A340@airbus.com

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