AD 2020-23-07
Applicability
| Type | Manufacturer | Model | Details |
|---|---|---|---|
| aircraft | Leonardo | S.p.a. | Airworthiness Directives; Leonardo S.p.a. Helicopters |
Unsafe Condition
An inadvertent raft activation and deployment event occurred on a Model AW139 helicopter during flight, resulting in the raft separating from the helicopter and being lost at sea. Investigation is ongoing into the cause of this event. Model AB139 helicopters are subject to the same unsafe condition due to design similarity to the AW139 helicopters. This condition, if not detected and corrected, may lead to further unintended activation and deployment of the raft in flight and separation with possible impact on the rotors, resulting in reduced control of the helicopter.
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Required Actions
Remove certain emergency life raft reservoirs from service, inspect the reservoirs and raft actuator cables, and depending on the inspection results, replace the reservoir or adjust the actuator cable. Inspect the valve pull rod of each reservoir. If the measurement of the actuator cable between the face of the pull rod and the back of the valve cap exceeds 68.5 mm, replace the reservoir before further flight. Inspect the actuator cable of each reservoir. If the clearance between the sphere at the end of the actuator cable and the activation system exceeds 5.0 + 0.00/-2.0 mm, adjust the actuator cable before further flight.
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Compliance Time
Within 25 hours time-in-service (TIS), or before the reservoir accumulates 55 total hours TIS since first installation on a helicopter, whichever occurs later.
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Affected Aircraft
Leonardo S.p.a. Model AB139 and AW139 helicopters, all serial numbers, if equipped with emergency flotation kit part number (P/N) 4G9560F00111 (15 passengers) or P/N 4G9560F00211 (18 passengers), and certain serial-numbered right-hand (RH) or left-hand (LH) reservoirs P/N 3G2560V01951 or P/N 3G2560V01251 installed.
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Source: Official FAA Source ↗
Retrieved: Apr 6, 2026
Rights: U.S. Government Public Domain
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