Summary
This document proposes to revise an earlier proposed airworthiness directive (AD) that would have required inspecting the spigot housing plate at the wing/fuselage forward attachment sliding joint on certain Jetstream Aircraft Limited (JAL) Model 3201 airplanes, replacing any cracked or corroded part, and eventually replacing the spigots and spigot housing plate with new parts of improved design. A crack in the spigot housing plate assembly found during fatigue testing of the affected airplanes prompted the proposed action. Since publication of that proposal, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has determined that the proposed action is still a valid safety issue, but should be accomplished in accordance with updated service information. The proposed action revises the previous proposal by referencing an updated service bulletin. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent structural failure of the wing/ fuselage area caused by a cracked spigot housing assembly. Since the comment period for the original proposal has closed and the proposed action goes beyond the scope of what was originally proposed, the FAA is allowing additional time for the public to comment.