Rotorcraft
FAA Issues AD on Enstrom Rotor Spindle Cracks
As a result of a January crash of a 280FX, the safety agency is shortening the window between inspection intervals for the helicopter maker.

The FAA this week published a new airworthiness directive (2015-SW-014-AD) governing the inspection intervals to check for cracks on the main rotor spindles of piston-and turbine-powered Enstrom helicopters, effective June 2. The FAA is shortening the mandated initial inspection interval to 1,500 hours time-in-service (TIS) from the previous requirement of 5,000 hours it imposed on an emergency basis in February (2015-04-51) following the fatal crash of an Enstrom 280FX in Erie, Colo., on January 26. A preliminary investigation indicated that a spindle crack at the last thread of the retention nut threads caused the main rotor to separate from that helicopter.


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