EASA AD No : 2010-0271 

EASA Form 110 Page 1/2 

EASA AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE 

AD No.: 2010-0271 

Date: 22 December 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 participate 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 applicable ADs. Consequently, no person may operate 

an aircraft to which an AD applies, except in accordance with the requirements of that AD, unless otherwise specified by the Agency 

[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): 

A330 and A340 aeroplanes 

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

Foreign AD: Not applicable 

Supersedure: None 

ATA 22 Auto Flight – Auto Pilot & Auto-Thrust Disconnect – Operational 

Procedure 

Manufacturer(s): Airbus (formerly Airbus Industrie) 

Applicability: Airbus A330 aeroplanes, models -201, -202, -203, -223,-223F, -243, -243F, -

301, -302, -303, -321, -322, -323, -341, -342 and -343, all manufacturer 

serial numbers. 

Airbus A340 aeroplanes, models -211, -212, -213, -311, -312 and -313 all 

manufacturer serial numbers. 

Reason: When there are significant differences between all airspeed sources, the 

flight controls of an Airbus A330 or A340 aeroplane will revert to alternate 

law, the autopilot (AP) and the auto-thrust (A/THR) automatically disconnect, 

and the Flight Directors (FD) bars are automatically removed. 

It has been identified that, after such an event, if two airspeed sources 

become similar while still erroneous, the flight guidance computers will: 

- Display FD bars again, and 

- Enable autopilot and auto-thrust re-engagement 

However, in some cases, the autopilot orders may be inappropriate, such as 

possible abrupt pitch command. 

In order to prevent such event which may, under specific circumstances, 

constitute an unsafe condition, this AD requires an amendment of the Flight 

Manual to ensure that flight crews apply the appropriate operational 

procedure.
EASA AD No : 2010-0271 

EASA Form 110 Page 2/2 

Effective Date: 05 January 2011 

Required Action(s) 

and Compliance 

Time(s): 

Required as indicated : 

(1) Within 15 days after the effective date of this AD, amend the applicable 

Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) to incorporate the following operational 

procedure, and operate the aeroplane accordingly: 

PROCEDURE : 

When autopilot and auto-thrust are automatically disconnected and 

flight controls have reverted to alternate law: 

- Do not engage the AP and the A/THR, even if FD bars 

have reappeared 

- Do not follow the FD orders 

- ALL SPEED INDICATIONS............................................X-CHECK 

 If unreliable speed indication is suspected: 

 UNRELIABLE SPEED INDIC/ADR CHECK PROC...........APPLY 

 If at least two ADRs provide reliable speed indication for at least 30 

seconds, and the aircraft is stabilised on the intended path: 

AP/FD and A/THR ........................................................As required 

Note : This operational procedure is described in the following Temporary 

Revisions (TR) of the AFM : 

A330 AFM TR 149 (OEB N°82/1) 

A340 AFM TR 150 (OEB N°95/1) 

(2) Incorporation of the appropriate AFM TR, or inserting the above 

operational procedure or a copy of this AD into the AFM, is acceptable 

to comply with the requirements of paragraph (1) of this AD. 

Ref. Publications: A330 AFM TR 149 

A340 AFM TR 150 

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 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 & Research 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 – EAL, Fax: +33 

5 61 93 45 80 or + 33 5 61 93 44 51. E-mail: airworthiness.A330-

A340@airbus.com .