The FAA has issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive (AD) for all owners and operators of De Havilland Otter DHC-3 airplanes. The AD was issued on Oct. 4, exactly a month after a De Havilland Otter DHC-3 crashed in Washington state and killed all 10 on board.
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According to the FAA, this Emergency AD was prompted by multiple recent reports of cracks in the left-hand elevator auxiliary spar.
The AD calls for an inspection to detect and address cracks, corrosion, and previous repairs to the left-hand elevator auxiliary spar. If not addressed, the aircraft could experience elevator flutter leading to elevator failure and possible loss of control of the airplane.
The FAA has coordinated this issue with Transport Canada. AD CF-2018-04 was issued by Transport Canada on January 19, 2018 and included a requirement for inspecting elevator assemblies for corrosion.
The FAA issued a notice of proposed rulemaking that was published in the Federal Register on Feb. 8, 2022, in response to Transport Canada AD CF-2018-04, and is currently addressing comments.
The AD states that if an issue is found during the inspection, then replacement of the left-hand elevator auxiliary spar will be required. In addition, the AD requires sending the inspection results to the FAA.
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