FAA's Red Paint Hack: Spotting Loose Helicopter Bits the Easy Way
Published Date: 6/25/2025
Proposed Rule
Summary
If you fly an Airbus EC120B helicopter, the FAA wants you to keep checking the tail rotor hub for safety, just like before. Now, they’re adding a cool red paint mark to help spot any loose parts, which means fewer inspections once it’s done. These changes keep your helicopter safe and sound, and you’ll need to act on them soon to avoid any trouble.
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 1 benefits, 2 costs, 0 mixed.
Continue Tail Rotor Hub Inspections
If you operate an Airbus Helicopters Model EC120B, you must keep performing repetitive inspections of the tail rotor (TR) hub body as required by AD 2021-26-07. Those inspections can require replacing certain parts, removing from service any bolt, washer, and nut on the TR hub body at specified life limits and replacing them with airworthy parts, and may restrict installation of certain part-numbered TR hub bodies unless requirements are met.
Add Red Paint Mark As Fix
The proposed rule would require modifying the link of the TR hub body and the splined flange by adding red paint marks to help detect any loss of tightening torque. Completing this modification is a terminating action for the repetitive inspections required under the existing AD.
Inspect Red Paint Line Alignment
After adding the red paint mark, the proposed AD would require repetitive inspections of the red paint line that was added to the link of the TR hub body to check for alignment. These inspections are required even after the modification.
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Key Dates
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