Airworthiness Directives; Bell Textron Canada Limited Helicopters
- Published
- Sep 10, 2026
- Comments close
- Oct 26, 2026
- Citation
- 91 FR 57519
- Docket
- Docket No. FAA-2026-8796, Project Identifier AD-2026-00018-R
- Agencies
- DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION, Federal Aviation Administration
Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
Summary
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a new safety rule that would add a “never‑exceed speed” limit to the flight manuals of certain Bell Textron Canada helicopters. The rule is being issued after a Bell Model 206L equipped with a specific supplemental type certificate (STC SR02684LA) suffered strong vertical vibrations that damaged the tail boom, indicating a potential risk to safe operation. The directive applies to all Bell Model 206L, 206L‑1, 206L‑3 and 206L‑4 helicopters that have the STC SR02684LA installed. Operators of these helicopters would need to update the Limitations section of their existing rotorcraft flight manual and add a supplemental manual that includes the new speed restriction. The notice was published on September 10, 2026, and comments must be submitted by October 26, 2026. After the comment period, the FAA will review the feedback and decide whether to finalize the rule. If adopted, the updated manual requirements would become mandatory for affected helicopters, helping to prevent the vibration‑related damage that prompted the proposal.
AI-generated summary — verify against the Federal Register text.
Official abstract
The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Bell Textron Canada Limited (Bell) Model 206L, 206L-1, 206L-3, and 206L-4 helicopters with FAA Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) SR02684LA installed. This proposed AD was prompted by an event where a Bell Model 206L helicopter with FAA STC SR02684LA installed experienced moderate to severe vertical vibration, which resulted in damage to the tail boom of the helicopter. This proposed AD would require revising the Limitations section of the existing rotorcraft flight manual (RFM) for the helicopter to include a never-exceed-speed (V<INF>NE</INF>) limitation and would require incorporating a rotorcraft flight manual supplement (RFMS) into the existing RFM. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
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