The FAA has issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) for owners and operators of de Havilland Canada DHC–3 Otters in response to multiple recent reports of cracks in the left-hand elevator auxiliary spar.
The emergency AD affects turbine de Havilland DHC-3 Otters. (Not the accident aircraft.) [Courtesy: Julie Boatman]
Key Takeaways:
The FAA has issued an emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) for de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otters due to multiple reports of cracks in the left-hand elevator auxiliary spar.
This AD requires repetitive visual inspections for cracks, corrosion, and previous repairs, along with potential replacement of the auxiliary spar to prevent elevator failure and loss of aircraft control.
The directive is considered an interim action and follows approximately one month after a DHC-3 Turbine Otter crash killed 10 people in Washington.
The FAA has issued an emergency airworthiness directive (AD) for owners and operators of de Havilland Canada DHC–3 Otters in response to multiple recent reports of cracks in the left-hand elevator auxiliary spar.
According to the AD, the FAA analysis of the reports indicates immediate AD action is warranted.
CREATE A FREE ACCOUNT
Sign up to keep reading
Create a free account to continue. Already a member? Sign in below.
Meg Godlewski has been an aviation journalist for more than 24 years and a CFI for more than 20 years. If she is not flying or teaching aviation, she is writing about it. Meg is a founding member of the Pilot Proficiency Center at EAA AirVenture and excels at the application of simulation technology to flatten the learning curve. Follow Meg on Twitter @2Lewski.
