{"id":"F2006L03200","name":"AD/CONVAIR/27 - Drag Strut Shearbolt","slug":"ad-convair-27-drag-strut-shearbolt","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":60512,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006L03200-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Kelowna Flightcraft (General Dynamics/Co","sectionType":"division","heading":"Kelowna Flightcraft (General Dynamics/Convair) Series Aeroplanes","content":"### Kelowna Flightcraft (General Dynamics/Convair) Series Aeroplanes\n\n| AD/CONVAIR/27 | Drag Strut Shearbolt | 11/2006 |\n| ------------- | -------------------- | ------- |\n\n| Applicability: | GENERAL DYNAMICS Models 340/440 aeroplanes, including those converted to Turbo-propeller power. |\n| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Requirement: | To detect cracks originating at the shearbolt bore in the drag strut, and prevent possible failure of the landing gear, accomplish the following:1. Non-Modified Struts (See Definitions, below).(a) Perform a disassembly inspection of the nose landing gear, left hand, upper drag strut for crack development in the area of the clutch plate to strut shear bolt attach hole per General Dynamics Service Bulletin 640(340) S.B.No. 32-8, dated 10 August 1973, or later FAA-approved revisions, and modify the strut per Part III of the Bulletin.(b) If no cracks are found, repeat the inspection in Requirement 1(a) above.(c) If cracks are located, replace the drag strut with new or serviceable parts of the same type design.2. Modified or New Struts (See Definitions, below).(a) Perform a disassembly inspection of the nose landing gear, left hand upper drag strut in the area of the clutch plate to strut shear bolt attach hole as specified in General Dynamics Service Bulletin No. 32-8, or later FAA-approved revisions.(b) If no cracks are found, repeat the inspection in Requirement 2(a), above.(c) If cracks are found, replace the drag strut with new or serviceable part of the same type design.Definitions:Non-Modified Struts - This is an original configuration strut, which has not been modified by previous Service Engineering Reports or by Service Bulletin No.32-8. |\n\n| | Modified Struts - This includes all struts modified by previous SER's No.15-4-340-38/440-38 and 15-4-340-44A/440-44A or by Part III of Service Bulletin No. 32-8 that have not been modified per Part IV of Service BulletinNo. 32-8.New Struts - Part Number 340-7310231-1 struts that have not been reworked per Part IV of Service Bulletin No. 32-8.Note: FAA AD 73-19-11 Amdt 39-1736 refers. |\n| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Compliance: | 1. (a) Within 1200 landings after the effective date of this A.D., unless already accomplished within the last 4800 landings prior to this A.D.1. (b) On or before 20,000 landings following modification per Requirement 1.(a) and at intervals not to exceed 6000 landings thereafter, until the strut has been modified in accordance with the provisions of Part IV, Service Bulletin No. 32-8, or later FAA-approved revisions.1. (c) The various configurations and the re-inspection requirements are:(i) If new or previously modified struts are used for replacement, which do not have the modifications of Part IV, Service Bulletin No. 32-8 incorporated, perform an initial inspection on or before 20,000 landings from time of replacement and at intervals not to exceed 6000 landings thereafter.(ii) If previously modified parts are used for replacement that have a subsequent rework accomplished per Part IV of Service Bulletin No.32-8, perform an initial inspection on or before 20,000 landings following each rework, and at intervals not to exceed 6000 landings thereafter.(iii) Struts repaired per Part II of the Service Bulletin No. 32-8, or laterFAA-approved revisions, will be inspected at intervals not to exceed 6000 landings following the repair.2. (a) After the effective date of this AD, on or before the accumulation of 26,000 landings on a new or modified part, or 6000 additional landings, whichever occurs later.2. (b) At intervals not to exceed 6000 landings until the strut has been modified in accordance with the provisions of Part IV, Service Bulletin No. 32-8, or later FAA-approved revisions.2. (c) The various configurations and the re-inspection requirements are: |\n\n| | (i) If new or previously modified struts are used for replacement, which do not have the modifications of Part IV, Service Bulletin No. 32-8 incorporated, perform an initial inspection on or before 20,000 landings from time of replacement and at intervals not to exceed 6000 landings thereafter.(ii) If previously modified parts are used for replacement that have a subsequent rework accomplished per Part IV of Service Bulletin No.32-8, perform an initial inspection on or before 20,000 landings following each rework, and at intervals not to exceed 6000 landings thereafter.(iii) Struts repaired per Part II of the Service Bulletin No. 32-8, or laterFAA-approved revisions, will be inspected at intervals not to exceed 6000 landings following the repair. |\n| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ |\n| | This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 26 October 2006. |\n| Background: | The intent of this AD is to detect cracks originating at the shearbolt bore in the drag strut, and prevent possible failure of the landing gear. |\n\n![](image.001.png) \nJames Coyne \nDelegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority\n\n13 September 2006","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"AD/CONVAIR/27","sectionType":"part","heading":"AD/CONVAIR/27","content":"## AD/CONVAIR/27","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"Drag Strut Shearbolt","sectionType":"part","heading":"Drag Strut Shearbolt","content":"## Drag Strut Shearbolt","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"11/2006","sectionType":"part","heading":"11/2006","content":"## 11/2006","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":5,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The AD enforces inspections, replacements and modifications consistent with its stated safety objective — to detect shearbolt-bore cracks and prevent landing-gear failure — and applies only to General Dynamics/Convair Models 340/440 (including turboprop conversions) as specified. It does not broaden the population of affected aircraft beyond that applicability, though it relies on external service-bulletin and FAA-approved revisions to define technical compliance details."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple strut classifications (non-modified, modified, new) with different inspection and rework rules","Numerous landing-count thresholds (e.g. 1,200; 6,000; 20,000; 26,000; 48,00) that determine initial and repeat inspections","Dependence on detailed procedures and Parts II–IV of General Dynamics Service Bulletin No. 32-8 and any later FAA-approved revisions","Technical requirement for disassembly inspection (operational and maintenance burden) and potential part replacement","Interplay between repairs, reworks and replacement parts which resets inspection windows and requires per-part tracking","Reference to FAA amendments and later revisions gives regulatory discretion to alter technical content without changing the AD text","Potential ambiguity around what qualifies as a \"serviceable\" replacement part and timing since last inspection"],"plain_english_summary":"This Airworthiness Directive requires operators of General Dynamics/Convair 340/440 series aeroplanes (including turboprop conversions) to inspect the left-hand nose landing gear upper drag strut at the shearbolt bore for cracking, and to replace or rework struts per a specified service bulletin to prevent landing-gear failure. It ties inspections and rework to specific landing-count thresholds. Operators bear the inspection, replacement and tracking costs; technical standards and allowable revisions are set by referenced FAA-approved service bulletin parts, creating administrative discretion over how compliance is done."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":7,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This AD maintains its original narrow scope focused on a specific mechanical defect in a specific aircraft type. The detailed configuration categories and inspection intervals represent technical precision rather than scope creep — the directive remains tightly focused on preventing drag strut failure in Convair 340/440 series aircraft."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple conditional pathways based on three distinct strut configurations (Non-Modified, Modified, New) with different inspection timelines for each","Nested compliance deadlines referencing landing counts (1,200; 4,800; 6,000; 20,000; 26,000 landings) that vary by strut type and modification history","Extensive cross-referencing to external technical documents (General Dynamics Service Bulletin 640(340) S.B.No. 32-8, FAA AD 73-19-11 Amdt 39-1736, and specific Parts II, III, and IV of the Service Bulletin)","Recursive inspection logic — inspections trigger further inspections at defined intervals until a specific modification standard is achieved","Technical aviation terminology requiring specialized knowledge (drag strut, shearbolt bore, clutch plate, serviceable parts, same type design)","Dual regulatory framework — incorporates by reference both manufacturer service bulletins and FAA airworthiness directives","Ambiguous structural formatting in the source text with fragmented table cells and repeated headers that obscure logical flow"],"plain_english_summary":"This AD requires owners/operators of specified General Dynamics/Convair 340/440 (including turboprop conversions) to inspect, and repair or replace if needed, the nose landing gear left‑hand upper drag strut to detect cracks around a bolt hole. Initial inspections must be done within specified landing-count windows and repeated every 6,000 landings until a mandated modification is completed. The measure prevents fatigue cracks that could lead to landing‑gear failure."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-convair-27-drag-strut-shearbolt","history":"/api/acts/ad-convair-27-drag-strut-shearbolt/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-convair-27-drag-strut-shearbolt/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-convair-27-drag-strut-shearbolt/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-convair-27-drag-strut-shearbolt/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-convair-27-drag-strut-shearbolt/documents"}}