Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Airplanes
We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2012-22-12 for all Airbus Model A330-243, -243F, -341, -342, and -343 airplanes. AD 2012-22-12 required inspecting piccolo tubes and mount links, the aft side of the forward bulkhead, and outer boundary angles (OBAs); and doing corrective actions if necessary. This new AD retains certain requirements of AD 2012-22-12, and adds inspections of certain areas of the forward bulkhead, and related investigative and corrective actions if necessary. This AD was prompted by reports of cracking of air intake cowls, worn and detached attachment links, fractured thermal anti-ice (TAI) piccolo tubes, and loose or missing attachment rivets of the inner boundary angles (IBAs) and OBAs of the forward bulkhead. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.