Applies To All Known Owners Of P-180 Airplanes

The FAA has issued an emergency AD 2011-01-53, which supersedes AD 2011-01-51, issued December 18, 2010, which was sent previously to all known U.S. owners/operators of Piaggio Aero Industries S.p.A (Piaggio) Model Piaggo P-180 airplanes.

The European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Community, is considered the State of Design for the Piaggio Model P-180 airplanes. A reported occurrence of the flight controls jamming on Piaggio Model P-180 airplane prompted EASA to issue AD No. 2007-0025, dated February 1, 2007, and the FAA followed with AD 2007-24-15, Amendment 39-15321 (72 FR 67843, December 3, 2007). That AD required correcting the fuselage drain system and ensuring that the drain lines of the environmental unit condenser were not clogged.

Since AD 2007-24-15 became effective, the FAA received information on two additional incidences where Piaggio Model P-180 airplanes had water accumulation in the belly of the fuselage that froze and caused the flight controls to jam. We issued emergency AD 2011-01-51 on December 18, 2010, to require an immediate functional test of the fuselage drain holes and a report of the results to the FAA. It also allows, with noted exceptions, for the return/position of the airplane to a home base, hangar, maintenance facility, etc.

Since AD 2011-01-51 was issued, the FAA says it was notified that they inadvertently omitted the figure 2 in Appendix 1. This emergency AD retains the actions from AD 2011-01-51, adds figure 2 to Appendix 1, and corrects other minor typographical errors.

The FAA is working with EASA and Piaggio on this unsafe condition. Due to the nature of the immediate safety of flight situation, the FAA is working this AD concurrently with EASA instead of waiting for EASA, as the State of Design, to issue an AD. Thus, this action is considered unilateral AD action.

The FAA is issuing this AD because evaluated all relevant information was evaluated, and it was determined the unsafe condition described previously is likely to exist or develop in other products of the same type design. This AD requires an immediate functional test of the fuselage drain holes and a report of the results to the FAA. It also allows for the return/position of the airplane to a home base, hangar, maintenance facility, etc.

The FAA says this AD is considered an interim action.

FMI: http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgAD.nsf/0/C5FFCACCAB168A3D862577FF007EEEA4?OpenDocument