The timing of the FAA’s emergency airworthiness directive (AD) addressing possible corrosion in tail assemblies of de Havilland Canada DHC–3 Otters is under scrutiny from industry leaders.
The FAA released the emergency AD last week. Transport Canada issued a similar AD more than four years ago. AD CF-2018-04 was issued by Transport Canada on January 19, 2018, in response to corrosion found on DHC-3 tail assemblies. The AD established a requirement for inspecting the aircraft’s elevators for corrosion, which can lead to structural failure and result in an uncommanded nose-down pitch moment.
Last month, a deHavilland DHC-3 Turbine Otter operated by Northwest Seaplanes went down in Mutiny Bay off Whidbey Island in Washington. According to witnesses, the aircraft was flying at an altitude of approximately 600 feet above the surface when it suddenly plunged into the water, killing all 10 people on board.
The FAA tends to operate on the basis of "no fatalities, no problem", which they have for decades. Nothing's changed.
It appears that the Canadian agency took the early action that you would have had the FAA take; and yet it also seems to have made no difference, or not been enforced. ?
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure if a Canadian AD is going to have any effect on US-registered airplanes.
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