Originally Posted by
Grebe
........ And I do not recall - perhaps missed it that if " a crack " was found - planes would be grounded ( ferry flight only )
Hi
Grebe, I think the "grounding" of affected aircraft is implied rather than explicitly stated.
From what I can see, the MOM just talks of reporting all findings but then states in the penultimate Para, “Depending on findings, a ferry flight may be permitted”.
The AD, however, has an instruction to “…. repair if any cracking is found” (Para 1 of the AD and subsequently the last Para of P2 of the AD) and also talks of Ferry Flights to move the [affected] aircraft “….. to a location where the airplane can be repaired if any crack is found.” (at Para (I) on the penultimate page of the AD). It also states that repairs should be made ".... using a method approved by the FAA or [Boeing].".
There seems to be no “….. carry out repairs within…...” statement – it looks like a case of “if cracked – repair iaw Instruction XXXX and you may be given an exception for a ferry flight if needed to get the repair done elsewhere” - not that the AD quotes any "instructions" - it's all a bit vague! Maybe there is something in the Boeing Manuals (ie an Instruction XXXX) re size/nature of cracks before repair is needed as as often the case but I don’t have that sort of info to hand. From my experience, in Primary Structure, often there is little if no leeway before a repair is needed - but that should all be laid down in the Maint Manuals.
Again, I may be missing something but that’s how I read it FWIW. Not sure what you think. Cheers,
H ‘n’ H