AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
Airworthiness directives (AD) are issued by the FAA to correct unsafe conditions that affect the safety of an aircraft. ADs are mandatory and require compliance. Thus, it is imperative to comply with all ADs that apply to the aircraft. At the beginning of every inspection, research and compile a listing of all airworthiness directives that are applicable to the aircraft, its engine, propeller and any installed component.
CONDITIONAL INSPECTIONS
A conditional inspection is an unscheduled inspec tion conducted as a result of a specific over-limit, or abnormal event. Examples of events requiring spe cial inspections include:
Hard landings
Overstress conditions
Flight into severe turbulence Flight into volcanic ash Overtemp conditions Overweight landings
Exceeding placarded speed of flaps and landing gear
Bird strike
Lightning strike
Foreign object damage (FOD)
SPECIAL INSPECTIONS
Special inspections are scheduled inspections with prescribed intervals other than the normally estab lished inspection intervals set out by the manufac turer. Special inspections may be scheduled by flight hours, calendar time, or aircraft cycles. For instance, in the case of a progressive inspection schedule for a small Cessna, special inspections occur at intervals other than 50, 100, or 200 hours.
PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTIONS
An FAA approved Minimum Equipment List (MEL) includes equipment that, if inoperative, may either ground the aircraft or allow it to be flown with flight restrictions deferring maintenance for specific periods of time. An aircraft 's MEL is spe cific to its precise configuration and serial number. When a MEL item is discovered inoperative, it is reported by making an entry in the aircraft 's main tenance record. The inoperative equipment is either repaired or deferred according to the MEL instruc tions prior to further flight. After repair, record an airworthiness release or aircraft maintenance entry to remove the flight
Airworthiness directives (AD) are issued by the FAA to correct unsafe conditions that affect the safety of an aircraft. ADs are mandatory and require compliance. Thus, it is imperative to comply with all ADs that apply to the aircraft. At the beginning of every inspection, research and compile a listing of all airworthiness directives that are applicable to the aircraft, its engine, propeller and any installed component.
CONDITIONAL INSPECTIONS
A conditional inspection is an unscheduled inspec tion conducted as a result of a specific over-limit, or abnormal event. Examples of events requiring spe cial inspections include:
Hard landings
Overstress conditions
Flight into severe turbulence Flight into volcanic ash Overtemp conditions Overweight landings
Exceeding placarded speed of flaps and landing gear
Bird strike
Lightning strike
Foreign object damage (FOD)
SPECIAL INSPECTIONS
Special inspections are scheduled inspections with prescribed intervals other than the normally estab lished inspection intervals set out by the manufac turer. Special inspections may be scheduled by flight hours, calendar time, or aircraft cycles. For instance, in the case of a progressive inspection schedule for a small Cessna, special inspections occur at intervals other than 50, 100, or 200 hours.
PRE-FLIGHT INSPECTIONS
An FAA approved Minimum Equipment List (MEL) includes equipment that, if inoperative, may either ground the aircraft or allow it to be flown with flight restrictions deferring maintenance for specific periods of time. An aircraft 's MEL is spe cific to its precise configuration and serial number. When a MEL item is discovered inoperative, it is reported by making an entry in the aircraft 's main tenance record. The inoperative equipment is either repaired or deferred according to the MEL instruc tions prior to further flight. After repair, record an airworthiness release or aircraft maintenance entry to remove the flight