Summary
The FAA proposes to revise an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to certain Boeing Model 767-200 and -300 series airplanes. The existing AD currently requires repetitive inspections to detect wear or damage of the door latches and disconnect housings in the off-wing escape slide compartments, and replacement of any discrepant component with a new component. This proposed AD would revise the applicability of the existing AD to refer to a later revision of the referenced service bulletin, which removes airplanes that are not subject to the identified unsafe condition. This proposed AD results from reports of worn and damaged door latches and disconnect housings in the off-wing escape slide compartments. We are proposing this AD to ensure deployment of an escape slide during an emergency evacuation. Non-deployment of an escape slide during an emergency could slow down the evacuation of the airplane and result in injury to passengers or flightcrew. We are also proposing this AD to detect damaged disconnect housings in the off-wing escape slide compartments, which could result in unexpected deployment of an escape slide during maintenance, and consequent injury to maintenance personnel.