Federal Aviation Administration August 27, 2020 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2019-12-18 for Robinson Helicopter Company (Robinson) Model R44 II helicopters. AD 2019-12-18 required inspecting certain engine air induction hoses (hoses) and replacing any hose that was not airworthy. AD 2019-12-18 also prohibited the installation of certain hoses. This AD continues to require inspecting those previously affected hoses and amends the applicability, clarifies an inspection requirement, adds a requirement to repeat the inspection, and expands the installation prohibition. This AD was prompted by an additional report of separation between the outer and inner hose layers. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2017-07-08 for Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH (Airbus Helicopters) Model MBB-BK 117 D-2 helicopters. AD 2017-07-08 requires repetitively inspecting each engine mount elastomeric bushing (elastomeric bushing). Since the FAA issued AD 2017-07-08, Airbus Helicopters has designed an improved engine mount metal bushing (metal bushing). This proposed AD would retain the inspection requirements of AD 2017-07-08 and would require replacing each affected engine mount bushing with an improved engine mount bushing, while also requiring repetitive inspections of the improved engine mount bushing. This proposed AD would also prohibit installing an elastomeric bushing on any helicopter. The actions of this proposed AD are intended to address an unsafe condition on these products.