Airworthiness Directives; The New Piper Aircraft, Inc. (Formerly Piper Aircraft Corporation) PA31, PA31P, and PA31T Series Airplanes

This amendment supersedes Airworthiness Directive (AD) 88-05- 05, which currently requires the following on certain The New Piper Aircraft, Inc. (Piper) PA31, PA31P, and PA31T series airplanes: repetitively inspecting both the left and right main landing gear (MLG) forward sidebrace, and replacing any cracked MLG forward sidebrace. The Federal Aviation Administration's policy on aging commuter-class aircraft is to eliminate or, in certain instances, reduce the number of certain repetitive short-interval inspections when improved parts or modifications are available. This action retains the current repetitive inspection and necessary replacement requirements contained in AD 88- 05-05, and requires incorporating both a left and right MLG forward sidebrace of improved design as terminating action for the repetitive inspection requirement. The actions specified in this AD are intended to prevent the MLG from retracting because of a cracked MLG forward side brace, which, if not detected and corrected, could result in gear collapse and loss of control of the airplane during landing operations.