Airworthiness Directives; Boeing Model 727 Series Airplanes

This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) that is applicable to all Boeing Model 727 series airplanes. This action requires repetitive inspections for migration or corrosion of the outer hinge pins that attach the horizontal stabilizer to the vertical fin, and various follow-on actions, if necessary. This action also provides other repetitive inspections for cracking or corrosion of the hinge pins, which terminate the required repetitive inspections for migration or corrosion; these inspections are optional for airplanes on which no migration or corrosion is found. This action is necessary to find and fix corrosion or cracking in the hinge pins of the horizontal stabilizer, which could lead to structural degradation of the hinge of the horizontal stabilizer and result in loss of the horizontal stabilizer and consequent loss of controllability of the airplane. This action is intended to address the identified unsafe condition.