Data / Federal rules / 2026-15365
Airworthiness Directives; Bell Textron Canada Limited Helicopters
The Federal Aviation Administration published this final rule in the Federal Register on July 30, 2026. It took effect on September 3, 2026.
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What the agency says
The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2024-02- 55, which applies to certain Bell Textron Canada Limited (BTCL) Model 505 helicopters. AD 2024-02-55 required initial and recurring inspections of the vertical stabilizer top end cap assembly and corrective action if a crack is found. Since the FAA issued AD 2024-02- 55, the manufacturer introduced a new one- piece vertical stabilizer machined top end cap assembly, which is implemented during production, and designed a new replacement for the vertical stabilizer machined top end cap assembly currently in service. This AD continues to require the inspection requirements of AD 2024-02- 55 and would limit the applicability to exclude certain serial numbered BTCL Model 505 helicopters with an improved design vertical stabilizer top end cap installed at production. This AD also requires replacing the vertical stabilizer top end cap assembly with an improved design top end cap assembly, which constitutes a terminating action for the recurring detailed visual inspections. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
Key facts
- Document number
- 2026-15365
- Type
- Final rule
- Action
- Final rule
- Agency
- Transportation Department; Federal Aviation Administration
- Published
- July 30, 2026
- Takes effect
- September 3, 2026
- Dates
- This AD is effective September 3, 2026.
- Docket
- Docket No. FAA-2026-3477; Project Identifier MCAI-2025-01195-R; Amendment 39-23418; AD 2026-15-06
- Regulation ID (RIN)
- 2120-AA64
- Code of Federal Regulations
- 14 CFR 39
- Topics
- Air transportation; Aircraft; Aviation safety; Incorporation by reference; Safety
- Pages
- 4
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Everything from the Federal Aviation Administration · Rules on air transportation · Rules on aircraft · Rules on aviation safety · Published in July 2026
Read from the Federal Register API, last updated 2026-10-23. The document on federalregister.gov is the official record; dates and dockets can change through later corrections. Free to reuse with credit to SpecStream under CC BY 4.0.