Airworthiness Directives; Boeing Model 757-200, -200PF, and -200CB Series Airplanes

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Boeing Model 757-200, -200PF, and -200CB series airplanes. This AD requires doing initial and repetitive detailed or high frequency eddy current inspections for cracks around the rivets at the upper fastener row of the skin lap splice of the fuselage, and repairing any crack found. This AD results from a report indicating that certain rivets were incorrectly installed in some areas of the skin lap splices during production because they were drilled with a countersink that was too deep. We are issuing this AD to detect and correct premature fatigue cracking at certain skin lap splice locations of the fuselage, and consequent rapid decompression of the airplane.