Action
Notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM).
Summary
We propose to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2006-17- 01, AD 2006-15-07, AD 2000-02-25, and AD 97-25-02, which apply to certain Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (MHI) various Model MU-2B airplanes. An FAA-led MU-2B safety evaluation resulted in the standardization of the MU-2B specific training and the FAA-accepted pilot operating checklists through a special federal aviation regulation (SFAR). MHI revised the airplane flight manuals (AFMs) to align them with the information in that training and the checklists. In addition, incorporating all AFM revisions up to and including this latest AFM revision will incorporate all AFM compliance actions required by the four above-mentioned ADs. This proposed AD would retain from AD 2006-17-01 the inspection of the engine torque indication system and possible recalibration of the torque pressure transducers and would require incorporating all revisions up to and including the latest revisions of the AFM. We are proposing this AD to correct inconsistencies in critical operating procedures between the MU-2B specific training, the FAA-accepted pilot operating checklists, and the AFMs. This condition, if not corrected, could result in operators using FAA-accepted pilot operating checklists that differ from the AFM in certain critical operating procedures, which could result in failure to properly operate the airplane. This failure could lead to loss of control.