Commonwealth legislation

AD/DAUPHIN/92 - Tail Rotor Pitch Control Shaft

In ForceCTH

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Commonwealth

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legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

3/10 complexity

What it does: Requires replacing specified aluminium tail-rotor pitch-control shafts with a steel part (P/N 365A33.6214.20) and forbids reinstalling the aluminium shafts.

Who it affects and why it matters: Applies to Eurocopter SA 365 N1, AS 365 N2 and AS 365 N3 helicopters fitted with P/N 365A33.6161.20 or 365A33.6161.21; the change addresses fatigue and shock‑induced damage that can cause sudden tail‑rotor control loss.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in AD/DAUPHIN/92 - Tail Rotor Pitch Control Shaft.

Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) S

Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) Series Helicopters

AD/DAUPHIN/92	Tail Rotor Pitch Control Shaft	11/2007

Applicability:	Eurocopter SA 365 N1, AS 365 N2 and AS 365 N3 helicopters, all serial numbers, equipped with an aluminium Tail Rotor Blade Pitch Control Shaft with Part Number (P/N) 365A33.6161.20 or 365A33.6161.21.
Requirement:	1. Replace all P/N 365A33.6161.20 and 365A33.6161.21 aluminium Tail Rotor Blade Pitch Control Shafts with a steel P/N 365A33.6214.20 shaft in accordance with Eurocopter AS365 Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) 01.00.59.2. Do not install P/N 365A33.6161.20 and 365A33.6161.21 aluminium Tail Rotor Blade Pitch Control Shafts on any helicopter.Note: EASA AD 2007-0220 dated 13 August 2007 refers.
Compliance:	1. Before 31 December 2007.2. From 31 December 2007.
	This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 25 October 2007.
Background:	During a recent incident, the pilot of a Model AS 365 N2 helicopter noticed loss of control of the Tail Rotor. A decision was made to continue the flight to the nearest airport and an uneventful run-on landing was made. Subsequent investigation showed that the Tail Rotor Blade Pitch Control Shaft P/N 365A33.6161.21 had broken. This failure occurred in the main section of shaft sliding area, which appeared to have been damaged by peening. For that reason the origin of the crack, which developed under fatigue loading, could not be determined. Most likely, accidental damage (e.g. shock impact) is thought to have caused the initiation of a crack in the hard tungsten-carbide deposit on the shaft. Damage of this kind cannot be detected through normal inspection methods. This condition, if not corrected, could lead to further cases of control shaft failure and consequent loss of tail rotor control. EUROCOPTER has developed a steel control shaft, P/N 365A33.6214.20, that is less sensitive to shock-induced damage. For this reason, this AD requires replacement of the affected aluminium control shafts.

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Charles Lenarcic
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority

7 September 2007

AD/DAUPHIN/92

Tail Rotor Pitch Control Shaft

11/2007

Source text

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

Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) S Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) Series Helicopters

Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) Series Helicopters

AD/DAUPHIN/92	Tail Rotor Pitch Control Shaft	11/2007

Applicability:	Eurocopter SA 365 N1, AS 365 N2 and AS 365 N3 helicopters, all serial numbers, equipped with an aluminium Tail Rotor Blade Pitch Control Shaft with Part Number (P/N) 365A33.6161.20 or 365A33.6161.21.
Requirement:	1. Replace all P/N 365A33.6161.20 and 365A33.6161.21 aluminium Tail Rotor Blade Pitch Control Shafts with a steel P/N 365A33.6214.20 shaft in accordance with Eurocopter AS365 Alert Service Bulletin (ASB) 01.00.59.2. Do not install P/N 365A33.6161.20 and 365A33.6161.21 aluminium Tail Rotor Blade Pitch Control Shafts on any helicopter.Note: EASA AD 2007-0220 dated 13 August 2007 refers.
Compliance:	1. Before 31 December 2007.2. From 31 December 2007.
	This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 25 October 2007.
Background:	During a recent incident, the pilot of a Model AS 365 N2 helicopter noticed loss of control of the Tail Rotor. A decision was made to continue the flight to the nearest airport and an uneventful run-on landing was made. Subsequent investigation showed that the Tail Rotor Blade Pitch Control Shaft P/N 365A33.6161.21 had broken. This failure occurred in the main section of shaft sliding area, which appeared to have been damaged by peening. For that reason the origin of the crack, which developed under fatigue loading, could not be determined. Most likely, accidental damage (e.g. shock impact) is thought to have caused the initiation of a crack in the hard tungsten-carbide deposit on the shaft. Damage of this kind cannot be detected through normal inspection methods. This condition, if not corrected, could lead to further cases of control shaft failure and consequent loss of tail rotor control. EUROCOPTER has developed a steel control shaft, P/N 365A33.6214.20, that is less sensitive to shock-induced damage. For this reason, this AD requires replacement of the affected aluminium control shafts.

Charles Lenarcic
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority

7 September 2007

AD/DAUPHIN/92 - Tail Rotor Pitch Control Shaft

Plain English Summary

Deep dive

Current sections

Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) Series Helicopters

Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) Series Helicopters

AD/DAUPHIN/92

AD/DAUPHIN/92

Tail Rotor Pitch Control Shaft

Tail Rotor Pitch Control Shaft

11/2007

11/2007

Source text

Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) S Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) Series Helicopters

Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) Series Helicopters

AD/DAUPHIN/92 AD/DAUPHIN/92

AD/DAUPHIN/92

Tail Rotor Pitch Control Shaft Tail Rotor Pitch Control Shaft

Tail Rotor Pitch Control Shaft

11/2007 11/2007

11/2007