Falcon 7X AD Requires Landing-gear Pin Replacement

FAA airworthiness directive AD 2014-16-21, effective October 2, will require operators of Dassault Falcon 7X trijets to replace certain pintle pins in the left- and right-hand main landing gear. The agency found that some pintle pins in the Messier-Bugatti-Dowty landing gear had been incorrectly corrosion-protected, which could cause them to shear under normal load and lead to collapse during takeoff or landing. The OEMs developed service bulletin F7X-182 last year in response to an AD issued by the European Aviation Safety Agency to address the same issue.