FAA Proposed Airworthiness Directive: Boeing 757-300 Fuselage Frame Splice Crack Inspections

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is proposing a new Airworthiness Directive (AD) targeting all Boeing 757-300 series airplanes. The action was triggered by a crack growth analysis revealing that current maintenance planning data (MPD) and supplemental structural inspection program (SSIP) tasks are insufficient to detect cracks forming around the uppermost fastener of the fail-safe chord at fuselage frame splices. The proposed directive would mandate a one-time inspection or maintenance record review to identify any pre-existing repairs at the affected structural locations. Following this, operators would be required to perform repetitive inspections of the upper frames around the uppermost fastener common to the fail-safe chord at fuselage frame splices to detect any cracking. If cracks or other damage are found during these inspections, applicable on-condition corrective actions must be carried out before the aircraft may continue in service. The FAA's goal is to prevent structural failure at the fuselage frame splices, which could compromise the fuselage's fail-safe integrity and pose a significant safety risk to passengers and crew.

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