Airworthiness Directive · Amendment 39-22490 · Fuselage
The Boeing Company Airplanes
(1) This AD applies to all The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes, certificated in any category.
(2) Installation of Supplemental Type Certificate (STC) ST00830SE does not affect the ability to accomplish the actions required by this AD. Therefore, for airplanes on which STC ST00830SE is installed, a “change in product” alternative method of compliance (AMOC) approval request is not necessary to comply with the requirements of 14 CFR 39.17
The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all The Boeing Company Model 737-600, -700, -700C, -800, -900, and -900ER series airplanes. This AD was prompted by a report indicating fuselage skin lap splice cracking was found between stations (STA) 767 and STA 787, just below S-14R fuselage skin lap splice, where a lower skin panel buckle intersected the upper skin of the lap splice. Cracking was also found just below S-14R between STA 747 and STA 767. This AD requires an inspection for any repair at certain skin lap splices at S- 4, S-14, and S-24 and depending on the configuration, repetitive inspections for buckling, wrinkling, or bulging at affected skin lap splices and repair, repetitive inspections for cracking at affected locations common to fuselage skin on the left and right sides and repair, and alternative inspections and on-condition actions. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.
Except as specified by paragraph (h) of this AD: At the applicable times specified in the “Compliance” paragraph of Boeing Special Attention Requirements Bulletin 737-53-1399 RB, Revision 1, dated March 14, 2023, do all applicable actions identified in, and in accordance with, the Accomplishment Instructions of Boeing Special Attention Requirements Bulletin 737-53-1399 RB, Revision 1, dated March 14, 2023.
Note 1 to paragraph (g): Guidance for accomplishing the actions required by this AD can be found in Boeing Special Attention Service Bulletin 737-53-1399 RB, Revision 1, dated March 14, 2023, which is referred to in Boeing Special Attention Requirements Bulletin 737-53-1399 RB, Revision 1, dated March 14, 2023.
(1) Where the Compliance Time columns of the tables in the “Compliance” paragraph of Boeing Special Attention Requirements Bulletin 737-53-1399 RB, Revision 1, dated March 14, 2023, use the phrase “the original issue date of the Requirements Bulletin 737-53-1399 RB,” this AD requires using “the effective date of this AD.”
(2) Where Boeing Special Attention Requirements Bulletin 737-53-1399 RB, Revision 1, dated March 14, 2023, specifies contacting Boeing for repair instructions or for alternative inspections: This AD requires doing the repair and doing the alternative inspections and applicable on-condition actions using a method approved in accordance with the procedures specified in paragraph (i) of this AD.
