FAA is mandating additional checks of the elevator control systems on a wide variety of US-registered Embraer ERJ-135 and ERJ-145 regional jets after reports that an ERJ-145 “did not rotate in response to the command from the yoke” during takeoff.
Analysis of the aircraft after the rejected takeoff incident revealed that both elevator control rods in the ERJ-145 had broken, a problem thought to be linked to the effects “gale force winds” on parked aircraft, says the FAA.
The FAA and Embraer in 2005 had attempted to address similar problems through an Embraer service bulletin (SB) and an airworthiness directive (AD) after cracks had been found in the elevator control systems of certain aircraft equipped with mechanical gust locks.
Along with repetitive inspections, the AD called for eventual replacement of the mechanical gust lock system with an electromechanical version, an upgrade not performed on the latest incident aircraft.
The new AD, issued Wednesday, parallels an Embraer SB issued in December. It calls for a one-time detailed inspection of the elevator and control movements within 20 flight hours of February 14, the date the AD goes into force; regular visual inspections of the elevator system before the first flight of each day, and repetitive detailed inspections every 600 flight hours.
Aircraft exposed to wind gusts of more than 50kt (58mph) while parked on the ground or aircraft parked without gust locks engaged must be inspected before further flight, says the FAA.
Source: flightglobal.com's sister premium news site Air Transport Intelligence news
Source: FlightGlobal.com
