Summary
This document proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 97-20-14, which applies to all Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. (Mitsubishi) MU-2B series airplanes. AD 97-20-14 currently requires incorporating information into the Limitations Section of the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) that would require pilot training before flight into known or forecast icing conditions after a certain date. AD 97-20-14 was the result of the Federal Aviation Administration's analysis that the training level of the pilots-in-command (PIC) of the MU-2B series airplanes made it difficult for pilots to recognize adverse operating conditions and operate safely while flying in icing conditions. Since issuance of AD 97-20-14, a new training video has been developed that includes information that is critical to safety of the MU-2B series airplanes. This proposed AD would require updating the AFM information to require this new video as the mandatory pilot training. The actions specified by this proposed AD are intended to decrease the chance of icing-related incidents or accidents of the MU-2B series airplanes due to pilot error.