Airworthiness Directives; Bell Helicopter Textron, Inc. (Bell) Helicopters
We are adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for Bell Model 204B helicopters with a certain cable assembly installed. This AD requires inspecting the tail rotor (T/R) cable assembly for an incorrectly machined body. This AD is prompted by a report from Bell that a defective body on the cable prevents the barrel assembly from fully engaging in the body cavity. These actions are intended to prevent disengagement of the cable from the barrel, failure of the T/R pitch control, and subsequent loss of control of the helicopter.