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Airworthiness Directive 2012-21-17

recurring
Official AD 2012-21-17 · FR doc 2012-26198 · 2012-10-31 · airframe

Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes

What this AD requires

We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus Model A320-214 and -232 airplanes. This AD was prompted by reports that medium-head fasteners were installed in lieu of shear-head fasteners on a certain upper panel, which manufacturer fatigue and damage tolerance analyses demonstrated could have an effect on panel fatigue life. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking of certain fasteners, and repairs if necessary. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct such cracking, which could result in the loss of structural integrity of the airplane.

Repetitive inspection. Re-inspect. The next-due date/hours depend on this aircraft’s time in service — a records report computes it from the logbooks.

Which aircraft AD 2012-21-17 applies to

MakesAirbus
ModelsA320-214, A320-232, A320
Serial-conditional — narrows to serials 3456–3456, 3503–3503, 3516–3516, 3529–3529, 3591–3591, 3597–3597, 3611–3611, 3631–3631, 3696–3696, 3698–3698, 3714–3714, 3719–3719, 3775–3775, 3777–3777, 3780–3780, 3782–3782, 3786–3786, 3797–3797, 3805–3805, 3812–3812, 3870–3870, 3907–3907, 3909–3909, 3913–3913, 3922–3922, 3929–3929, 3946–3946, 3953–3953, 3975–3975, 3979–3979, 3991–3991, 4010–4010, 4012–4012, 4014–4014, 4027–4027, 4034–4034, 4043–4043, 4046–4046, 4064–4064, 4065–4065, 4084–4084, 4093–4093, 4094–4094, 4097–4097.

Whether AD 2012-21-17 actually applies to your aircraft (by serial and installed parts) and whether it’s already complied with comes from that aircraft’s records.

How AD compliance is recorded

A valid compliance record (14 CFR 43.9) states:

Method of compliance — The specific action taken (inspected, replaced, modified) and to what revision.
Date — When the work was done.
Aircraft time — Total time in service / tach at compliance — how recurring next-due is computed.
Signature & certificate — The A&P/IA who returned it to service, with certificate number.
Is AD 2012-21-17 complied with on your aircraft?

Tailplate reads a tail number’s logbooks and matches every applicable AD — including this one — to its compliance evidence, with recurring next-due dates computed.

Look up a tail number →Read the full directive (Federal Register)

Applicability is derived from the FAA directive corpus and is advisory, not a legal airworthiness determination. Compliance is established only from an aircraft’s actual records.