EASA AD No.: 2010-0082-E

EASA Form 110 Page 1/2 

## EASA EMERGENCY AIRW ORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No.: 2010-0082-E

Date: 27 April 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 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 ensured by accomplishing any applic able ADs. Consequently, no person may opera te an aircraft to which an AD applies, except in accordance with th e requirements of that AD, 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) exemptio n]. 

### Type Approval Holder’s Name :

EUROCOPTER Type/Model designation(s) :
AS 350 and AS 355 helicopters

TCDS Number : EASA.R.008 & EASA.R.146

Foreign AD : Not applicable

Supersedure : None



### ATA 65 Tail Rotor Drive – Tail Gearbox (TGB) Control Lever – Inspection / Rework / Replacement

Manufacturer(s): Eurocopter (formerly Eurocopter-France, Aerospatiale)

Applicability: AS 350 B, BA, BB, B1, B2, and D helic opters, all serial numbers, and AS 355 E, F, F1, F2 and N helicopters, all serial numbers, if equipped with TGB control lever Part Number (P/N) 350A33-1058-00, P/N 350A33-1058-01, P/N 350A33-1058-02, or P/N 350A33-1058-03, except those marked with an “X”.

Reason: An accident occurred involving an AS 350 B2 helicopter; the cause of the accident was the failure of contro l lever P/N 350A33-1058-03. Initial investigations on site showed that the ar ea of failure of the control lever was similar to that in cases encountered previously where it was demonstrated that the crack was due to non-compliant installation. Therefore Eurocopter issued Safety In formation Notice (SIN) No. 2106-S-65 on October 29, 2009, to remind operators of the installation procedure and of the checking instructions which are applicable following installation of the control lever. Concerning the latest case, further investigations have not formally concluded non-compliant installation of the TGB control lever; only a few surface anomalies were revealed. This condition, if not detected and corr ected, could reduc e the structural strength of the TGB control lever, possibly causing failure of the lever, which could result in reduced control of the helicopter. In order to remove any surface anomalie s which could induce the formation of cracks and lead to reduced strength, Eurocopter has defined local reworkingEASA AD No.: 2010-0082-E

EASA Form 110 Page 2/2 of the area concerned. Pending this rewo rk, a visual inspection of the area must be accomplished during checks after the last flight of the day (ALF). For the reasons described above, this AD requires repetitive inspections of the affected parts in order to detect cracks and, depending on findings, rework or replacement.

Effective Date: 29 April 2010

Required Action(s) and Compliance Time(s): Required as indicated, unless accomplished previously: (1) Within 10 flight hours (FH) or during the ALF, whichever occurs first after the effective date of this AD, and ther eafter at intervals not to exceed 10 FH or during the ALF, whichever occu rs first, visually inspect the affected control levers in accordance with the instructions of paragraph 2.B.1.a of Eurocopter AS350 Alert Service Bu lletin (ASB) No. 05.00.62 or AS355 ASB No. 05.00.57, as applic able to helicopter type. (2) If, during the inspections performed as required by paragr aph (1) of this AD, no cracks are found, within 660 FH or 14 months, whichever occurs first after the effective date of this AD, for each affected part, accomplish the instructions of paragraph 2.B.3 of Eu rocopter AS350 ASB No. 05.00.62 or AS355 ASB No. 05.00.57, as applicable to helicopter type, or replace it with a reworked lever (marked with an “X”) or with a reinforced control lever P/N 350A33-1526-00 or P/N 350A33-1524-00. (3) If during any inspection performed as required by paragraph (1) of this AD any crack is found, before next fli ght, contact Eurocopter and replace the affected part in accordance with the in structions of paragraph 2.B.1.b 2) of Eurocopter AS350 ASB No. 05.00.62 or AS355 ASB No. 05.00.57, as applicable to helicopter type. (4) After the effective date of this AD, do not install a TGB control lever P/N 350A33-1058-00, P/N 350A33-1058- 01, P/N 350A33-1058-02, or P/N 350A33-1058-03 on any helicopter, unless it has been reworked (marked with an “X”) in accordance with t he instructions of paragraph 2.B.3 of Eurocopter AS350 ASB No. 05.00.62 or AS355 ASB No. 05.00.57, as applicable to helicopter type (5) After installation of a reworked part or a reinforced part on a helicopter, as required by paragraph (2) or (3) of this AD, the repetitive inspections of paragraph (1) are no longer required for that helicopter.

Ref. Publications: Eurocopter AS350 ASB No. 05. 00.62, Revision 1, and Eurocopter AS350 ASB No. 05.00.57, Revi sion 1, both dated 23 April 2010. The use of later approved revisions of these documents 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. The required actions and the risk a llowance have granted the issuance of a Final AD with Request for Comments, postponing the public consultation process after publication. 3. Enquiries regarding this Airworthiness Directive should be referred to the Airworthiness Directives, Safety Management & Research Section, Certification Directorate, EASA. E-mail: ADs@easa.europa.eu

. 4. For any question concerning the tec hnical content of the requirements in this AD, please contact: EUROCOPTER (STDI) - Aéropo rt de Marseille Provence 13725 Marignane Cedex - France. Tel: +33 (0) 4 42 85 97 97 - Fax: +33 (0) 4 42 85 99 66. E-mail: Directive.technical-support@eurocopter.com