Airworthiness Directive 2015-27137

recurring
AD 2015-27137 · 2015-10-27 · airframe

Airworthiness Directives; Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited Helicopters

What this AD requires

We are superseding emergency airworthiness directive (AD) No. 2015-16-51 (Emergency AD 2015-16-51) for Bell Helicopter Textron Canada Limited (Bell) Model 429 helicopters. Emergency AD 2015-16-51 required inspections of each inboard and outboard tail rotor pitch link assembly for axial or radial bearing play, and if there was axial or radial bearing play, removing the tail rotor pitch link and inspecting for wear. Emergency AD 2015-16-51 was prompted by several reports of worn tail rotor pitch link spherical bearings. We are issuing this supersedure to retain the inspection requirements in Emergency AD 2015- 16-51 while revising the applicability and compliance time to clarify that all Bell Model 429 helicopters require recurring inspections regardless of hours time-in-service (TIS) accumulated on the helicopter. These actions are intended to prevent pitch link failure and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

Repetitive inspection. Re-inspect every 50 hours. The next-due date/hours depend on this aircraft’s time in service — a records report computes it from the logbooks.

Which aircraft AD 2015-27137 applies to

Applicability depends on the aircraft’s type certificate — check it against the specific tail.

Whether AD 2015-27137 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 complianceThe specific action taken (inspected, replaced, modified) and to what revision.
DateWhen the work was done.
Aircraft timeTotal time in service / tach at compliance — how recurring next-due is computed.
Signature & certificateThe A&P/IA who returned it to service, with certificate number.
Is AD 2015-27137 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.