Seven More MD-11 ADs Issued

SEVEN MORE MD-11 ADS ISSUED
by Sean Broderick

Seven more MD-11 airworthiness directives hit the streets Thursday, continuing a trend of correcting electrical system shortcomings that started soon after the crash of Swissair 111 18 months ago.

The latest ADs give MD-11 operators up to one year from the ADs' March 23 effective dates to make several inspections and upgrades. Parts covered by the rules include battery ground cable installations, avionics compartment terminal strips, two wire bundles, circuit breakers, ramp deflector assemblies, and the 90% brake pedal position switch.

FAA's latest moves pushes the number of rules or proposals targeting the MD-11 issued since the September 1998 Swissair crash past 20, including eight electrical system proposals issued Feb. 5. The latest rules build off of manufacturer-issued service bulletins and don't mention the Swissair accident, but are no doubt more evidence of the intense scrutiny of the MD-11 design since that crash. A fire in the front of the aircraft, likely triggered by an electrical system problem, is the focus of the Swissair investigation. Most of FAA's MD-11 rulemaking since the disaster has concentrated on the electrical system or the aircraft's metalized Mylar insulation, which falls "below the new test standard" established by FAA since the Swissair crash, the agency said upon issuing the proposed rule last year.