Summary
This document proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 96-12-08 on Twin Commander Aircraft Corporation (Twin Commander) 500, 680, 690, and 695 series airplanes that do not have a nose landing gear drag link bolt with the manufacturer's serial number, manufacture date, and the last three digits of the drawing number, 055, on the bolt head, which currently requires replacing the nose landing gear (NLG) drag link bolt with one that has been manufactured with the proper heat-treatment. The proposed action would retain these requirements, would require additional models and serial numbers be added to the applicability section, and would require certain Models 690D and 695A airplanes to replace bolt part number (P/N) ED10055 with bolt P/N 750076-1. The addition of airplane models and serial numbers, as well as changing the part number of the bolt to be replaced on some models prompted the proposed action. The actions specified by the proposed AD are intended to prevent the NLG from collapsing which could result in loss of control of the airplane during landing operations.