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## EASA AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AD No.: 2008-0026

Date: 12 February 2008

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

### Type Approval Holder’s Name :
AIRBUS Type/Model designation(s) :

A330 and A340 aircraft

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

Foreign AD: Not applicable

Supersedure: This AD supersedes EASA EAD 2007-0222R1-E da ted 24 September 2007.



### ATA 27 Flight Controls – Flap Down Drive Shaft – Inspection

Manufacturer(s): AIRBUS (formerly AIRBUS INDUSTRIE)

Applicability: AIRBUS aircraft A330-200 , A330-300, A340-200, A340-300, A340-500 and A340-600 series, all certified models, all manufacturer serial numbers.
Reason: Several cases of corrosion and damage on the Down Drive Shafts (DDS), between the Down Drive Ge ar Box (DDGB) and the Input Gear Box (IPGB), on all 10 Flap Tracks (5 per wing), have been reported by AIRBUS Long Range Operators. Investigations have revealed that co rrosion and wear due to absence of grease in the spline interfaces could cause down drive shaft disconnection which could result in a free movable flap surface potentially leading to aircraft as ymmetry or even flap detachment. Emergency Airworthiness Directive (EAD) 2007-0222-E mandated on all aircraft older than 6 years since AIRB US original delivery date of the aircraft an initial inspection of all DDS and IPGB for corrosion and wear detection in order to replace any damaged part. Revision 1 of the EAD 2007-0222-E aimed for clarifying the compliance instructions. The present AD supersedes the EAD 2007-0222R1-E and mandates repetitive inspections every 6 years for all the fleet.2/3 Effective Date: 26 February 2008

Compliance: Section A : applicable to AIRBUS A3 30 aircraft, all certified models, all manufacturer serial numbers (MSN) up to MSN 0420 inclusive and AIRBUS aircraft A340-200 and A340-300 series, all certified mode ls, all manufacturer serial numbers up to MSN 0415 inclusive, except MSN 0385, 0395 (see note below):
1. Unless already accomplished, within 24 months following 16 August 2007 [the effective date of EAD 2007-0222-E],
In accordance with instructions of the relevant AIRBUS Service Bulletin (SB) A330-27-3151 or SB A340-27-4151, perform simultaneously detailed visual inspections of the Input Gear Boxes (IPGB) and of the Down Drive Shafts (DDS) on all flap tracks on both wings for corrosion and wear detection and apply the associated corrective actions, within the compliance time defined in the relevant SB.
2. On 16 August 2007 [the effective date of EAD 2007-0222-E], for aircraft which had 10 years or more since AIRBUS original delivery date (see note below) : Unless already accomplished, within 4 months following 16 August 2007 [the effective date of EAD 2007-0222-E],
In accordance with instructions of the relevant AIRBUS SB A330-27- 3151 or SB A340-27-4151, perform simultaneously detailed visual inspections of the Input Gear Boxes (IPGB) and of the Down Drive Shafts (DDS) on flap tracks 2 and 4 on both wings for corrosion and wear detection and apply the associated corrective actions, within the compliance time defined in the associated SB.
3. The inspection results, whatever they are, must be reported to AIRBUS.
4. Within 6 years from the inspection performed as per SB A330-27-3151

or SB A340-27-4151, and thereafter at intervals not exceeding 6 years, perform simultaneously detailed visual inspections of the IPGB and of the DDS on all flap tracks on both wings in accordance with instructions of the relevant AI RBUS SB A330-27-3152 or SB A340-27- 4152 and apply the associated corrective actions, within the compliance time defined in the associated SB.

Section B : applicable to all aircraft part of the applicability except those part of Section A; Within 6 years after the original delivery date of the aircraft (see note below) or within 20 months following the effective date of this AD, whichever occurs later, and thereafter at intervals not exceeding 6 years: In accordance with instructions of the relevant AIRBUS SB A330-27- 3152 or SB A340-27-4152 or A340-27-5040, perform simultaneously detailed visual inspections of the Input Gear Boxes (IPGB) and of the Down Drive Shafts (DDS) on all flap tracks on both wings for corrosion and wear detection and apply the associated corrective actions, within the compliance time defined in the associated SB.3/3 Note: AIRBUS must be contacted in orde r to get appropriate information for aircraft on which AIRBUS origi nal delivery date of the aircraft is unknown to the operator.

Ref. Publications: AIRBUS Service Bulletin A330-27-3151 Original issue; AIRBUS Service Bulletin A330-27-3152 Original issue; AIRBUS Service Bulletin A340-27-4151 Original issue; AIRBUS Service Bulletin A340-27-4152 Original issue; AIRBUS Service Bulletin A340-27-5040 Original issue. 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 accept Alternative Methods of Compliance for this AD. 2. This AD was posted on 04 January 2008 as PAD 08-003 for consultation until 01 February 2008. The Comment Response Document can be found at http://ad.easa.europa.eu/

. 3. Enquiries regarding this Airworthin ess Directive 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: AIRBUS SAS – Airworthiness Office – EAL. Fax: + 33 5 61 93 45 80 or + 33 5 61 93 44 51, E- mail: airworthiness.A330-A340@airbus.com

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