Inspection of Main Landing Gear (MLG) Shock Absorber - Notice of release of SB
HELICOPTERS DIVISION
SERVICE INFORMATION LETTER
SIL N° S-139-24-003
March 15, 2024
DATE:
REV.:
Leonardo Helicopters products
To:
AB/AW139 Owners / Operators / Service Centres
Inspection of Main Landing Gear (MLG) Shock
SUBJECT:
Absorber piston rod eye end – Notice of release of SB
All AW139 equipped with Main Shock Absorber Assy
Helicopters Affected: P/N 3G3210V00333 (Liebherr P/N 1654B0000-01)
P/N 3G3210V01031 (Liebherr P/N 1654C0000-01)
Dear Customer,
Hereby Leonardo Helicopters (LH) is providing early notification of Service Bulletin 139-783 which is
going to be released in the upcoming weeks related to the MLG Main Shock Absorber Assy P/N
3G3210V00333 and P/N 3G3210V01031.
Following two occurrences of broken eye end of the Main Shock Absorber piston rod reported in
fleet, an investigation was performed in cooperation with Liebherr-Aerospace Lindenberg (LLI)
supplier of the mentioned Main Shock Absorber (SA).
LLI is going to issue the Service Bulletin 1652C-32-03 that requires the inspection of the eye end of
the SA by means of a Special Detailed Inspection (SDI) using Ultrasonic Testing (UT) to detect
potential cracks.
In order to perform such UT inspection the following main requirements, tools and equipment are
needed:
• The inspection must be performed by a EN4179/NAS410 certified inspector (or equivalent)
for non-destructive testing Level II or higher.
• Digital Ultrasonic Flaw Detector USM 35 XS or equivalent (Local Supply).
• Wedge and probe P/N UTA 4x4,5 45-5 P (to be procured through LH).
• Reference Specimen P/N 1654A0100-01W02 (to be procured through LH).
LH will issue the Service Bulletin 139-783 within calendar week 14 to manage the application of such
inspection requirements for the SA currently installed on AW139 fleet.
The requirements will be based on the number of Cycles Since New (CSN) accumulated on the
Shock Absorbers and will be more restrictive on components that have accumulated an higher
number of cycles. In case of cracks detected through the UT inspection, the component must be
replaced.
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Inspection of Main Landing Gear (MLG) Shock Absorber – Notice of release of SB
Based on tests performed in our facility, it is possible to perform the inspection with the component
kept installed provided that the Aircraft is Lift on Jacks (ref. AMP DM 39-A-07-11-00-00A-028A-A
“Helicopter - Lift on jacks - General”).
The SB will be endorsed by EASA with a dedicated Airworthiness Directive.
In order to manage the short compliance of Service Bulletin 139-783, in advance respect to the SB
release, it is suggested to all Customers / Operators to:
• Identify the current number of CSN for all SA P/N 3G3210V00333 and P/N 3G3210V01031
currently installed on Aircrafts or kept at stock (e.g. Log Card, EASA Form 1, etc.);
• In case of SA with a high number of CSN (e.g. 7,000 Landings or more):
o Please provide the information reported in Appendix A to Engineering Support
Mailbox [Link]@[Link] or to
[Link]@[Link] for North, Central and South
America.
o Verify local availability of a Level II NDT Inspector (or higher) and Digital Ultrasonic
Flaw Detector in accordance with the above-mentioned requirements.
o Ensure the availability of the Wedge, Probe and Reference Specimen that can be
requested to LH with a dedicated MMIR (please refer to the usual communication
channels).
Due to the contingency of the current situation, orders for spare SA P/N 3G3210V00333 and P/N
3G3210V01031 will be accepted only in case of confirmed failures and/or evidences of cracks
detected through the UT.
Finally, LH is going to arrange two webinar sessions on March 21st, 2024, to provide further info on
this topic. Further details will follow through the usual official LH channels.
Should you need any additional information, please do not hesitate to refer to your usual contact
within LH Engineering Support team.
Yours Sincerely
Francesco Bellardi
Leonardo Helicopters
Customer Support Services & Training
VP Customer Support & Services
Page 2 of 3 SIL N° : S-139-24-003
Date : March 15, 2024
Rev : /
Inspection of Main Landing Gear (MLG) Shock Absorber – Notice of release of SB
Appendix A
CUSTOMER NAME _______________________ POINT OF CONTACT: email address __________________ Mobile _______________
Shock Absorber
NDT Level II
P/N Cycles Since Aircraft S/N or Geographic
S/N availability Note
[3G3210V00333 / New Stock Location
[Yes/No]
3G3210V01031]
1
10
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