Airworthiness Directives; Aerospatiale Model ATR42-500 Airplanes

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Aerospatiale Model ATR42-500 airplanes. This AD requires inspecting for correct installation of the fastener that attaches the ground braids on the elevator, modifying the forward bonded assembly of the elevator control rod, and corrective action if necessary. This AD results from a functional test of the elevator trim tab control rod of the leading edge, which showed that, in a full-up elevator condition with the tab fully down, interference could occur between the tab control rod and the forward edge of the lower skin of the elevator. We are issuing this AD to prevent discrepancies between the elevator trim tab control rod and the forward edge of the lower skin of the elevator, which could result in reduced control of the elevator and consequent reduced controllability of the airplane.