Cracks And Loose Fasteners Noted On Main Transmission Fitting Plates On Several Aircraft

The FAA has issued a Special Airworthiness Information Bulletin (SAIB) to inform owners/operators of Agusta S.p.A. (Agusta) Model A119, AW119 MKII, A109E, A109S, and AW109SP helicopters of an airworthiness concern for those helicopters that have a left or right main transmission fitting plate (fitting) part number (P/N) 109-0330-17 installed.

An operator reported several cases of cracks in the fitting and loose fasteners (Hi-Loks) on their fleet of AW119 MKII helicopters. The FAA’s Rotorcraft Standards Branch queried our Monitor Safety Analyze Data (MSAD) and Service Difficulty Reports (SDR) databases and found that there were twelve occurrences of cracked fittings. Because they are the state of design for these model helicopters, the FAA contacted the EASA.

EASA performed a safety assessment with input from Agusta and determined there is not an unsafe condition that warrants mandatory action. On March 6, 2018, Agusta issued Service Bulletin No. 119-087 to conduct an eddy current inspection of the plate for cracks. Although the safety assessments concluded that AD action is not currently warranted, the FAA is requesting information to determine if future AD action is warranted. This SAIB includes models other than the AW119 MKII helicopters because they use the same P/N fitting.

The FAA recommends the following actions for owners and operators of the affected helicopters with fitting P/N 109-0330-17 installed:

• Inspect the left and right fitting for a crack and loose Hi-Lok fasteners within 100 hours time-in-service (TIS).
• If there is a crack, replace the fitting before further flight.
• If there are loose fasteners, replace them before further flight.
• Provide the following information within 10 days after the inspection to the individual listed in the For Further Information Contact paragraph:
• Aircraft model and serial number,
• Hours TIS since the fitting was installed,
• Location and extent of any crack.
• Any loose fasteners in the area.

The FAA is in the process of updating Agusta's name change to Leonardo Helicopters on its type certificate. Because this name change is not yet effective, this SAIB specifies Agusta.

(Image provided with FAA SAIB)

FMI: rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgSAIB.nsf/dc7bd4f27e5f107486257221005f069d/361ed40756c1559d8625827f0071f6f7/$FILE/SW-18-13.pdf