FAA's High-Tech Safety Solution: Red Paint on Helicopter Parts
Published Date: 11/25/2025
Rule
Summary
If you fly an Airbus EC120B helicopter, listen up! The FAA is updating safety rules to keep your tail rotor in top shape by adding a cool red paint mark to help spot loose parts. Starting December 30, 2025, you’ll still do regular inspections, but this new paint job means fewer checks over time—saving you time and possibly money while keeping flights safe.
Analyzed Economic Effects
5 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 4 costs, 1 mixed.
Immediate repetitive inspections required
If you operate an Airbus Helicopters Model EC120B, you must visually inspect the tail rotor (TR) hub body for cracks within 15 hours time-in-service (TIS) or 7 days after December 30, 2025, and then at intervals not to exceed 15 hours TIS. You must also visually inspect the TR splined flange at the same 15-hour/7-day intervals and replace parts before further flight if cracks or other disqualifying conditions are found.
Hardware replacement schedule and thresholds
For EC120B helicopters with 9,000 or more total hours TIS or unknown hours, you must, within 15 hours TIS or 7 days after December 30, 2025, remove and replace each bolt, washer, and nut on the TR hub body and then repeat that removal/replacement at intervals not to exceed 1,000 hours TIS. For helicopters with less than 9,000 total hours TIS, you must do this within 1,000 hours TIS or before reaching 9,000 hours TIS and then every 1,000 hours TIS thereafter.
Replacement part cost exposures spelled out
The FAA estimates this AD affects 70 U.S.-registered EC120B helicopters and provides cost estimates: a visual TR hub or spline flange inspection is about $22 per helicopter; replacing a bolt/washer/nut set is about $68; inspecting torque and adding the red paint line is about $340 per helicopter; replacing a TR hub body is estimated at $16,655 per helicopter; replacing a TR spline flange is estimated at $2,993 per helicopter. Labor is estimated at $85 per hour in these calculations.
Torque check and red paint modification ends inspections
Within 24 months after December 30, 2025, operators must inspect the torque on the TR hub nut; if torque is within limits, you must apply a red paint line (polyurethane) to specified bolts, nuts, and washers. Applying the red paint line is a terminating action for the repetitive inspections. If torque is not within limits, the nut must be removed and replaced before further flight. After paint application, you must inspect the red paint line for alignment within 100 hours TIS or 12 months, whichever occurs first, and then at those same intervals.
Parts installation restriction takes effect
As of December 30, 2025, you may not install TR hub body P/N C642A0100103 or a splined flange on any EC120B helicopter unless the part is new (zero hours TIS) or has passed the inspections required by the AD. This limits installation of those part-numbered components until they meet the AD's inspection/new-part condition.
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