Summary
The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for McDonnell Douglas Model DC-9-10, DC-9-20, DC-9-30, DC-9-40, and DC- 9-50 series airplanes, equipped with tail cone evacuation slide containers as specified above. This proposed AD would require modifying the tail cone slide. This proposed AD also would require additional tail cone drops and slide deployments, and repair if necessary. This proposed AD results from several reports of inadvertent tail cone deployments in which the tail cone slide failed to deploy. We are proposing this AD to ensure that the tail cone evacuation slide deploys correctly; failure of the slide to deploy during an emergency evacuation could result in injury to flightcrew and passengers.