Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Model A321-100 and -200 Series Airplanes

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Airbus Model A321-100 and -200 series airplanes. This AD requires replacing the crashworthiness pins on the side-stay of the main landing gear (MLG) with new pins having an increased internal notch diameter. This AD results from testing on the side-stay crashworthiness pins on the MLG, which revealed that, in the case of an emergency landing, the crashworthiness pins installed will not ensure a correct MLG collapse. We are issuing this AD to prevent a punctured fuel tank, which could cause damage to the airplane or injury to passengers.