Summary
The FAA proposes to supersede an existing airworthiness directive (AD) that applies to all McDonnell Douglas Model 717-200 airplanes. The existing AD currently requires revising the Airworthiness Limitations Section (ALS) of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness to incorporate new removal limits for certain components of the flap system and to reduce the interval of inspections for fatigue cracking of certain principal structural elements (PSEs). This proposed AD would require revising the ALS of the Instructions for Continued Airworthiness to incorporate reduced initial inspection and repeat inspection intervals for certain PSEs. This proposed AD results from a revised damage tolerance analysis. We are proposing this AD to detect and correct fatigue cracking of certain PSEs, which could adversely affect the structural integrity of the airplane.