U.S. AD Will Follow Lead Of Transport Canada Document

The FAA is issuing an Airworthiness Directive (AD) identical to the August 26 Transport Canada Civil Aviation (TCCA) directive which requires airlines to inspect Honeywell emergency locator transmitters (ELTs) by January 14, 2014 to prevent an electrical short and possible ignition source.

The FAA AD has the same deadline for the U.S. fleet and will impact approximately 4,000 airplanes at a total cost of approximately $325,720. The investigation of the July 12, 2013 Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 787 fire at Heathrow Airport continues under the leadership of the United Kingdom Air Accident Investigation Branch (AAIB).

The Transport Canada AD states that it was issued as a precautionary measure to address the possibility of a fire due to wiring installation discrepancies of either the ELT TU or the ELT Battery. Depending on the outcome of the AAIB investigation, Transport Canada may revise this AD or mandate additional corrective actions.

It calls for a one-time inspection of the ELT TUs listed in the applicability section of the AD, and If any discrepancy is found during the inspection, carry out the applicable rectification in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of the above-noted ASB prior to returning the TU to service.

FMI: www.faa.gov, http://wwwapps3.tc.gc.ca/Saf-Sec-Sur/2/cawis-swimn/awd-lv-cs1401.asp