Airworthiness Directives; Airbus SAS Airplanes
- Published
- Sep 3, 2026
- Effective
- Sep 18, 2026
- Comments close
- Oct 19, 2026
- Citation
- 91 FR 56575
- Docket
- Docket No. FAA-2026-8793, Project Identifier MCAI-2026-00772-T, Amendment 39-23458
- Agencies
- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, Federal Aviation Administration
Final rule; request for comments.
Summary
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is issuing a new airworthiness directive that requires operators of certain Airbus A‑318, A‑319, A‑320, and A‑321 models to perform detailed visual checks of the main‑landing‑gear support‑rib lugs. The checks are needed because a manufacturing error left tool‑mark damage inside the forward and aft lug bores, which could weaken the gear and affect the aircraft’s safety. Operators must repeat these inspections at regular intervals, but they can stop the ongoing checks by completing a one‑time, more thorough inspection that serves as a final fix. The rule comes from the U.S. Department of Transportation’s FAA and applies to all U.S.‑registered airplanes of the listed Airbus variants. It is intended to protect the safety of passengers and crew by ensuring the landing gear is free from hidden damage that could lead to failure during take‑off or landing. The directive becomes effective on September 18, 2026, and the FAA will accept public comments until October 19, 2026. After that date, the agency will consider any feedback before finalizing the compliance schedule and issuing guidance on how owners and operators should carry out the inspections and corrective actions.
AI-generated summary — verify against the Federal Register text.
Official abstract
The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus SAS Model A318-112; Model A319-115, -132, and -133; Model A320-214, -216, -232, -233, -251N, and -271N; and Model A321-211, -213, -231, -271N, -251NX, -253NX, and -271NX airplanes. This AD was prompted by a quality escape identified in the production assembly line on the main landing gear (MLG) support rib 5 lugs, which resulted in tool mark damage in the bore of the forward and aft lugs. This AD requires repetitive detailed visual inspections (DVIs) of the affected parts and applicable corrective actions. This AD also provides a one- time special detailed inspection (SDI) as a terminating action for the repetitive inspections. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
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