Beechcraft Duchess

Airworthiness Directives; Textron Aviation Inc. Airplanes

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 97-06-10 for certain Raytheon Aircraft Company (type certificate now held by Textron Aviation Inc. (Textron)) Model 76 airplanes. AD 97-06-10 required repetitively inspecting the main landing gear (MLG) "A" frame assemblies for cracks and replacing any cracked assembly. Since the FAA issued AD 97-06-10, the replacement parts have also experienced failure due to cracking. This AD requires magnetic particle inspections of the MLG "A" frame assemblies for cracks and replacement of the affected parts if necessary. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

Airworthiness Directives; Hartzell Propeller Inc. ( )HC-( )(2,3)Y(K,R)-2 Two- and Three-Bladed Compact Series Propellers

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Hartzell Propeller Inc. left-hand rotating ( )HC-( )(2,3)Y(K,R)-2 two- and three-bladed, aluminum hub, "compact" series propellers, with hubs having a non-suffix serial number, and lubrication holes located on the shoulder of the hub blade socket. These propellers are installed on Lycoming Engines LIO-360 series and LO-360 series reciprocating engines installed on Piper Aircraft, Inc. Seneca PA-34-200 and Seminole PA-44-180, and Hawker Beechcraft Corporation Model 76 Duchess, airplanes. This AD requires initial and repetitive eddy current inspections (ECI), of the area around the lubrication holes of the hub blade sockets. This AD results from four reports of propeller hub cracks, including two in-flight blade separation events. We are issuing this AD to prevent failure of the propeller hub, which could result in blade separation and loss of control of the airplane.