Summary
The FAA proposes to supersede Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2016-08-08, which applies to all SOCATA (type certificate now held by DAHER) Model MS 880B, MS 885, MS 892A-150, MS 892E-150, MS 893A, MS 893E, MS 894A, MS 894E, Rallye 100S, Rallye 150ST, Rallye 150T, Rallye 235C, and Rallye 235E airplanes. AD 2016-08-08 requires doing repetitive detailed visual inspections of the intersection between the axle radius and the nose landing gear (NLG) fork area for chafing; doing repetitive dye penetrant inspections on the NLG wheel axle for cracks, distortion, and nicks or wear; doing corrective actions if necessary; and replacing the NLG wheel axle attachment screws with new screws. Since the FAA issued AD 2016-08-08, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA), which is the Technical Agent for the Member States of the European Union, superseded the previous EASA AD to introduce a new inspection method and a new design for the affected NLG wheel axle that provides terminating action for the repetitive inspections, as specified in updated service information published by the manufacturer. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.