EASA to Examine A380 Wind-Spar Cracking More Closely Written 15 May 2023

Aviation Week reported that Airbus A380s that “sit idle in severe environmental conditions may be susceptible to wing-spar cracking previously linked to the wing’s age, prompting the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) to adopt broader inspection criteria recommended by the manufacturer.” An airworthiness directive (AD) from last Thursday noted that A380 operators must calculate “factored time on ground” (FTOG) and “conduct inspections based on Airbus’ revised criteria.” The AD builds “on existing inspection criteria for the A380 wing box areas: the top and bottom flanges of the outer rear spar (ORS) between Ribs 33 and 49, the outer inner front spar (OIFS) between Ribs 8 and 14 and the outer front spar (OFS) between Ribs 38 and 49.”
Full Story (Aviation Week)