Commonwealth legislation

AD/AS 355/15 Amdt 1 - Sliding Door Ball Joint - Inspection and Modification

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

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Commonwealth

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

2/10 complexity

This Airworthiness Directive (a mandatory safety order from the aviation regulator) applies to all Eurocopter AS 355 helicopters fitted with sliding doors.

The safety problem: The ball joints on sliding doors (the pivot mechanisms that let doors slide open and shut) can fail, causing doors to fall off during flight. This has already happened twice.

What operators must do:

Inspect the door ball joints within 50 flight hours after 5 September 1983, then reinspect every 300 flight hours until a specific fix is installed.
Install the modification (called AMS 07.1353) within 100 flight hours after 31 July 1984, or at the next scheduled maintenance check—whichever occurs later.

Who this affects: Owners and operators of AS 355 helicopters with sliding doors. Time in service means actual flight hours (not just calendar time). Until these steps are completed, the aircraft is not legally airworthy.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in AD/AS 355/15 Amdt 1 - Sliding Door Ball Joint - Inspection and Modification.

AD/AS 355/15 Amdt 1 - Sliding Door Ball Joint - Inspection and Modification

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY

SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

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Eurocopter AS 355 (Twin Ecureuil) Series Helicopters

AD/AS 355/15

Amdt 1

Sliding Door Ball Joint - Inspection and Modification

7/84

Applicability: All models AS 355 equipped with sliding doors. Document: 1. Aerospatiale telex service 05.11 (Telex No. 7223 refers).

Aerospatiale SB No. 52.01 (Modification AMS 350A.07.1353).

Compliance: 1. Within 50 hours time in service after 5th September 1983 and thereafter at intervals not exceeding 300 hours time in service until modification AMS 07.1353 has been incorporated.

Within 100 hours time in service after 31 July 1984 or at the next scheduled inspection for maintenance release issue after 31 July 1984 whichever is the later.

Background: Service Bulletin No. 52.01 modifies the sliding door ball joint and relieves the recurring ball joint disassembly. This requirement follows two cases of loss of a sliding door in flight.

Source text

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.

1 AD/AS 355/15 Amdt 1 - Sliding Door Ball Joint - Inspection and Modification