Is AD 97-18499 a recurring Airworthiness Directive?

No — AD 97-18499 is a one-time directive. Verify it was complied with in the aircraft's records.

Which aircraft does AD 97-18499 apply to?

AD 97-18499 applies to Bell Helicopter Textron — models 214B, 214B-1, 214. Serial/part conditions may narrow it to specific aircraft.

Airworthiness Directive 97-18499

one-time

AD 97-18499 · 1997-07-15 · airframe

Airworthiness Directives; Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. Model 214B, 214B-1, and 214ST Helicopters

What this AD requires

This amendment supersedes an existing airworthiness directive (AD), applicable to Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. (BHTI) Model 214B, 214B-1, and 214ST helicopters, that currently establishes a mandatory retirement life of 60,000 high-power events for the main transmission upper planetary carrier (carrier). This amendment requires changing the method of calculating retirement life for the carrier from high-power events to a maximum accumulated Retirement Index Number (RIN) of 120,000. This amendment is prompted by fatigue analyses and tests that show certain carriers fail sooner than originally anticipated because of the unanticipated high number of lifts or takeoffs (torque events) performed with those carriers in addition to the time-in-service (TIS) accrued under other operating conditions. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent fatigue failure of the carrier, which could result in failure of the main transmission and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.

Which aircraft AD 97-18499 applies to

MakesBell Helicopter Textron

Models214B, 214B-1, 214

Part-conditional — 214-040-077-007, 214-040-077-101.

Main transmission carrier P/N 214-040-077-007 or -101 requires a component history card tracking an accumulated Retirement Index Number (RIN), computed from high-power events, external-load lift operations, and/or operating hours; explicitly applies to Model 214B and 214B-1 helicopters. Compliance required within 25 hours TIS after the effective date.

Whether AD 97-18499 actually applies to your aircraft (by serial and installed parts) and whether it’s already complied with comes from that aircraft’s records.

Supersession

Supersedes AD 94-02-05.

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 97-18499 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.