Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes
We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2010-04-03 for all Airbus Model A310 series airplanes. AD 2010-04-03 required accomplishing repetitive detailed inspections for cracking around the fastener holes in certain wing top skin panels between the front and rear spars on the left- and right-hand sides of the fuselage, and repair if necessary. This new AD continues to require the repetitive detailed inspections, and also requires supplemental repetitive ultrasonic inspections for cracking around the fastener holes in wing top skin panels 1 and 2 at ribs 2 and 3, and repair if necessary. This AD was prompted by development of an ultrasonic inspection program to allow for earlier crack detection and extended repetitive inspection intervals. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking around the fastener holes, which could result in reduced structural integrity of the airplane.