Airworthiness Directives; Boeing Model 737-300, -400, and -500 Series Airplanes

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 737-300, -400, and -500 series airplanes. This AD requires repetitive inspections for cracking of the crown area of the fuselage skin, and corrective actions if necessary. This AD is prompted by a Model 737 fuselage structure test and fatigue analysis that indicate fuselage skin cracking could occur between 21,000 and 42,000 total flight cycles. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of the fuselage skin, which could cause the fuselage skin to fracture and fail, and could result in rapid decompression of the airplane.