EASA AD No.: 2014

- 0278

TE. CAP.00110

- 00 4 © European Aviation Safety Agency. All rights reserved. 1 / 2 Proprietary document. Copies are not controlled. Confirm revision status through the EASA

- Internet/Intranet. 

## EASA AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No

. : 2014

- 0278

Date: 1 9 December 2014

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 E U 748/2012 , Part 21

. A.3B. In accordan ce with E U 13 2 1 /20 14 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 requirements of that AD

, unless otherwise specified by the Agency [E U 13 2 1 /20 14 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 :
AIRBUS Type/Model designation(s) :
A320 aeroplanes

TCDS Number: EASA.A.064

F oreign AD: Not applicable

Supersedure: None



### ATA 53 Fuselage

– Skin Above Lap Joint

– Inspection

Manufacturer(s): Airbus (formerly Airbus Industrie)

Applicability: A320 aeroplane s , identified by Model and manufacturer serial number (MSN): A320

- 212 MSN 1011

, A320

- 214 MSN 1009 , 1026 and 1030

, A320

- 232 MSN 0977

, and A320

- 233 MSN 1007 and 1013

.

Reason: An operator reported finding a crack d uring an inspection in accordance with the instructions of Airbus Alert Operators Transmission (AOT) A53N007

- 14

. What was found

, a 170 mm through

- thickness crack in the pocket radius between frame 36 and 37 above stringer 6 on left hand (LH) side lap joint

, was not the aim of the AOT inspection . Prior to this finding, th e operator reported noise in the affected area during several weeks.

This condition

, if not detected and corrected

, could lead to in

- flight decom press ion of the aeroplane, possibly resulting in injury to occupants

. To address this unsafe condition , Airbus publishe d AOT A53N009

- 14 to provide inspection and repair instructions to detect and prevent crack propagation. EASA decided to agree on a sampling inspection to determine whether additional aeroplanes need to be inspected

. For the reasons describ e d above, this AD requires , for the selected aeroplanes, repetitive Low Frequency Edd y Current (LFEC) or High Frequency Eddy Current (HFEC) inspection s o f the pocket radii located between fuselage frame s 35 and 40 , above stringer 6 on both LH and right hand (RH) sides and, depending on findings, accomplishment of repair instructions

. This AD is considered an interim action and further AD action may follow.

Effective Date: 2 4 December 20 14EASA AD No.: 2014

- 0278

TE. CAP.00110

- 00 4 © European Aviation Safety Agency. All rights reserved. 2 / 2 Proprietary document. Copies are not controlled. Confirm revision status through the EASA

- Internet/Intranet. Required A ction(s) and Compliance Time(s) : Required as indicated, unless accomplished previously: (1) Within 750 f light c ycles (FC) or 4 months, whichever occurs first after the effective date of this AD, and, thereafter

, at interval s not to exceed the value as defined in T able 1 of this AD, as applicable, accomplish a LFEC or HFEC inspection in accordance with the instructions of Airbus AOT A53N009

- 14

. Table 1

– LFEC / HFEC Inspections

Inspection Location Inspection Interval

LFEC Outside 1 000 FC

HFEC Inside 2 000 FC

(2) If, during any inspection as required by paragraph (1) of this AD, any crack is found

, before next flight, accomplish a repair in accordance with the instructions of Airbus AOT A53N009

- 14

, which references Airbus Structural Repair Manual (SRM) 53

- 00

- 11 PB 201

, or , if the detected damage is beyond the SRM limits

, contact Airbus for approved repair instructions and accomplish those instructions accordingly. (3) Repair of an aeroplane as required by paragraph (2) of this AD constitutes terminating action for the repetitive inspections required by paragraph (1) of this AD for that aeroplane

.

Ref. Public ations: Airbus AOT A53N009

- 14 o riginal issue dated 17 December 2014

. The use of later approved revisions of th i s 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. Based on t he required actions and the compliance time, EASA have decided to issue a Final AD with Request for Comments

, postponing the public consultation process until after publication

. 3. Enquiries regarding this A D 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

– EIAS; Fax +33 5 61 93 44 51; E

- mail: account.airworth

- eas@airbus.com

.