AD/A330/36 - Main Landing Gear Wheel Axles (Cth)

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

AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE For the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below issues the following Airworthiness Directive (AD) under subregulation 39.1 (1) of CASR 1998. The AD requires that the action set out in the requirement section (being action that the delegate considers necessary to correct the unsafe condition) be taken in relation to the aircraft or aeronautical product mentioned in the applicability section: (a) in the circumstances mentioned in the requirement section; and (b) in accordance with the instructions set out in the requirement section; and (c) at the time mentioned in the compliance section.

Airbus Industrie A330 Series Aeroplanes

AD/A330/36 Main Landing Gear Wheel Axles 9/2004

Applicability: All Model A330-200 and -300 aircraft, equipped with main landing gear axles part number 201272608, 201272638, 201272644, or 201272649, which were either:

- manufactured before 20 December 1994, pre and post overhaul; or,

- manufactured after 20 December 1994, and subsequently overhauled or repaired with one or more chrome journals re-worked by stripping, application and grinding.

Requirement: Action in accordance with the requirements of DGAC AD F-2004-100.

Note: Airbus All Operator Telex AOT A330-32A3176 R1 refers.

Compliance: As specified in the Requirement document.

This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 2 September 2004.

Background: The DGAC received a report of an in-service fracture of a right hand main landing gear forward wheel axle on a Model A340-300 aircraft. Investigation revealed that cracks were generated by overheat damage to the axle base metal, which resulted from abusive grinding of the chrome plate during original manufacture. Propagation of the cracks occurred rapidly by stress corrosion.