### 1/3 

## EASA AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No.: 2007 - 0256

Date: 19 September 2007

No person may operate an aircraft to which an Airworthiness Directive applies, except in accordance with the requirements of that Airworthiness Directive unless otherwise agreed with the Authority of the State of Registry. 

### Type Approval Holder’s Name:
Pacific Scientific Company, HTL/KIN-TECH Division Type/Model designations:
Restraint Systems: 2000029, 2000067, 2000115

TSOA Number: various ETSOA Number: various, e.g. CAA UK Approval Number AR01193, AR0197, AR01199.

Foreign AD: None

Supersedure: None



### ATA 25 Equipment and Furnishing - Seat Restraint System Plastic Rotary Buckle Handle - Inspection/Replacement

Manufacturer: Pacific Scientific Company

Applicability: All the Pacific Scientific rotary buckles p/n’s 1111430-XX and 1111475-XX used on restraint systems p/n’s:

2000029-01 2000067-01 2000115-101

2000029-03 2000115-121

2000029-101

2000029-121
manufactured from November 2004 through May 2007 inclusive. These p/n’s are known to be installed on, but not limited to, Eurocopter a/c models AS 350, AS 355, EC120, EC 130, EC 155. The applicability of this AD is limited to rotorcraft only and is not intended for aeroplanes.
Reason: Pacific Scientific has received field reports of several instances of cracking on the guarded rotary buckle assembly plastic handle part numbers 1111430-XX and 1111475-XX with a date of manufacture from November 2004 through May 2007 inclusive. Preliminary testing performed by Pacific Scientific on buckle assemblies with cracked plastic handles indicates that in some circumstances when a load is

### 2/3 placed on the restraint system, the straps may not release as intended when the buckle is rotated.
These circumstances are: • a passenger who weights more than 50 kg and • an aircraft upside down. This could therefore result in a potential unsafe condition in event of an emergency landing or when the occupant is bearing on the buckle. The above is considered possible to take place for helicopters only and not for large aeroplanes. This AD requires identification of all affected buckles, an inspection for cracks and ultimate replacement of the entire batch of suspect buckles.

Effective Date: 03 October 2007

Compliance: Required as follows, unless already accomplished, in accordance with the instructions of Pacific Scientific SB 25-1111432 original issue dated May 22, 2007: 1. within 30 days after the effective date of this AD, inspect the seat restraint systems, installed on seats or held as spare, to identify if the buckles part numbers are those affected by this AD; if yes, check the buckles for integrity. 2. Immediately replace any cracked buckle with an airworthy part or mark the seat as “un-operative”. 3. In the 6 months following the effective date of this AD repeat inspection of the buckles affected by this AD before any flight and immediately replace them with an airworthy part if any start of cracking is detected or mark the seat as “un-operative”. Not later than 6 months after the effective date of this AD, replace all rotary buckles, as identified in the Applicability section of this AD, with an airworthy part. 4. After 6 months from the effective date of this AD, no person may install on any aircraft as a replacement part any spare rotary buckle having P/N 1111430-XX or 1111475-XX with a manufacturing date from November 2004 through May 2007 inclusive, or install any spare restraint system having the above mentioned buckle part numbers and manufacturing date.
Ref. Publications: Pacific Scientific SB 25-1111432 issue dated May 22, 2007.

Remarks : 1. If requested and appropriately substantiated, EASA can accept Alternative Methods of Compliance for this AD. 2. This AD was posted on 03 August 2007 as PAD 07-134 for consultation until 07 September 2007. The Comment Response Document can be found at http://ad.easa.europa.eu/

. 3. Enquiries regarding this AD should be referred to the AD Focal Point - 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:
Pacific Scientific Aviation Services 11700 N.W. 102nd Rd. # 6 Miami, Florida 33178 United States Ph: 305-477-4711 Fax: 305-477-9799

### 3/3 Contact: Edel Mena www.pacscimiami.com

Pacific Scientific UK Ltd. Howarth Road, Maidenhead Berkshire SL6 1AP United Kingdom Ph: 44-1628 68-2200 Fax: 44-1628-68 2250 Contact: Ross Hamilton
Pacific Scientific Germany Unit 6 Hagen Park Miramstrasse 74 34123 Kassel Germany Tel: + 49 (0) 561 57981 0 Fax: + 49 (0) 561 57981 25 Contact: Michael Hippe