Summary
The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to certain McDonnell Douglas Model DC-9-10, DC-9-20, DC-9-30, DC-9-40, and DC-9-50 series airplanes. The existing AD currently requires a one-time inspection at a certain disconnect panel in the left forward cargo compartment to find contamination of electrical connectors and to determine if a dripshield is installed over the disconnect panel, and corrective actions if necessary. This proposed AD would revise the applicability of the existing AD to remove certain airplanes and add others. This proposed AD results from a report of electrical arcing that resulted in a fire. We are proposing this AD to prevent contamination of certain electrical connectors, which could cause electrical arcing and consequent fire on the airplane.