Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes
The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report indicating fuselage skin lap splice cracking was found between stations (STA) 767 and STA 787, just below S-14R fuselage skin lap splice, where a lower skin panel buckle intersected the upper skin of the lap splice. Cracking was also found just below S-14R between STA 747 and STA 767. This AD requires an inspection for any repair at certain skin lap splices at S- 4, S-14, and S-24 and depending on the configuration, repetitive inspections for buckling, wrinkling, or bulging at affected skin lap splices and repair, repetitive inspections for cracking at affected locations common to fuselage skin on the left and right sides and repair, and alternative inspections and on-condition actions. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.