Airworthiness Directives; McDonnell Douglas Model MD-11 Series Airplanes

This amendment adopts a new airworthiness directive (AD) that is applicable to certain McDonnell Douglas Model MD-11 series airplanes. This action requires a visual inspection to verify that the channel flanges of the bracket installations are facing forward and to detect chafing or damage of the wire bundles of the center accessory compartment (CAC), and corrective actions, if necessary. This amendment also requires that operators submit a report of the inspection results to the FAA. This amendment is prompted by an incident in which sparks and smoke came out of the CAC during a functional test due to a wire bundle that had chafed against a support bracket installation, which was installed improperly during production of the airplane. The actions specified in this AD are intended to ensure that such bracket installations are installed properly. Improper installation of the brackets of the CAC could cause chafing of the wire bundles, which could result in sparks, smoke, and possible fire in the CAC.