View source for Emergency airworthiness directive

An '''emergency airworthiness directive''' ('''EAD''') is an [[airworthiness directive]] issued when unsafe conditions require immediate action by an aircraft owner or operator. An EAD is published by a responsible authority such as the [[Federal Office for Civil Aviation of Switzerland|FOCA]], [[European Aviation Safety Agency|EASA]] or [[FAA]] related to airworthiness and maintenance of aircraft and aircraft parts. It contains measures which must be accomplished and the related periods to preserve their airworthiness. Technical information is addressed to operators and maintenance organisations of affected aircraft only. EADs become effective upon receipt of notification.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.faa.gov/aircraft/air_cert/continued_operation/ad/type_pub/type_emerg/|title=Emergency Airworthiness Directives|accessdate=2009-10-13 |publisher=[[FAA]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bazl.admin.ch/fachleute/lufttechnik/entwicklung/00656/00664/index.html?lang=en |title=Emergency Airworthiness Directives |accessdate=2009-10-13 |publisher=[[Federal Office for Civil Aviation of Switzerland]] |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706221643/http://www.bazl.admin.ch/fachleute/lufttechnik/entwicklung/00656/00664/index.html?lang=en |archivedate=2011-07-06 }}</ref>

==Notable incidents that have led to emergency airworthiness directives==
[[Image:China Airlines B-18616 fire.jpg|thumb|The burnt-out wreckage of [[China Airlines Flight 120]]; following this incident, the [[FAA]] issued an emergency airworthiness directive.]]

* On May 25, 1979, [[American Airlines Flight 191]], a [[McDonnell Douglas DC-10]] crashed after takeoff from [[Chicago O'Hare Airport]]. An engine separated from the plane, damaging electrical and hydraulic systems, causing the left wing's slats to retract and stall that wing. This led to the type being grounded in June 1979.
*On August 20, 2007, [[China Airlines Flight 120]], a Boeing 737-800 inbound from [[Taipei]], caught fire shortly after landing at [[Naha]] Airport in [[Okinawa Prefecture|Okinawa]] Prefecture, Japan. There were no fatalities. Following this incident, the [[FAA]] issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive on August 25 ordering inspection of all Boeing 737NG series aircraft for loose components in the wing leading edge slats within 24 days.
* On October 7, 2008, [[Qantas Flight 72]], a scheduled flight from [[Singapore Changi Airport]] to [[Perth Airport]], made an emergency landing at [[RAAF Learmonth|Learmonth airport]] near the town of [[Exmouth, Western Australia]] following a pair of sudden uncommanded [[pitch (aviation)|pitch]]-down manoeuvres that resulted in serious injuries to many of the occupants. The aircraft was equipped with a [[Northrop Grumman]] made [[ADIRS]], which investigators sent to the manufacturer in the US for further testing.<ref>
{{Cite news
 |url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/10/14/2391134.htm
 |title=Computer error behind Qantas midair drama
 |publisher=[[Australian Broadcasting Corporation]]
 |date=14 October 2008
 |accessdate=2008-10-15
}}</ref><ref>{{cite news
 |url=http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,24506830-36418,00.html
 |title=US tests on false data sent on Qantas jet over WA
 |work=[[The Australian]]
 |date=17 October 2008
 |author=Steve Creedy
 |access-date=13 October 2009
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081017192530/http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/business/story/0,28124,24506830-36418,00.html
 |archive-date=17 October 2008
 |url-status=dead
 }}</ref> On 15 January 2009 the EASA issued an Emergency Airworthiness Directive<ref>[http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/EASAAD20090012E.pdf Emergency Airworthiness Directive No 2009-0012-E] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090205145420/http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/EASAAD20090012E.pdf |date=February 5, 2009 }}</ref> to address the above A330 and A340 Northrop-Grumman ADIRU problem of incorrectly responding to a defective inertial reference.

* On January 16, 2013, the FAA issued an emergency airworthiness directive ordering all U.S. airlines to ground the [[Boeing 787 Dreamliner|Boeing 787]]s in their fleets due to problems with the aircraft's [[Lithium-ion battery#Safety|lithium-ion battery]].  The directive came after the second incident of battery fire aboard the aircraft.<ref>{{cite news |title=FAA grounding all Boeing 787s |url=http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/faa-grounding-all-boeing-787s/nTyfB/ |publisher=[[KIRO-TV]] |location=Seattle |accessdate=16 January 2013 |archive-date=19 January 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130119022332/http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/faa-grounding-all-boeing-787s/nTyfB/ |url-status=dead }}</ref> This was the first time that the FAA had issued a general grounding of an aircraft model since 1979's DC-10 grounding.<ref name=bbcBat1>{{cite web|title=Dreamliner: Boeing 787 planes grounded on safety fears |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-21054089 |publisher=[[BBC News]] |accessdate=17 January 2013}}</ref>
* On November 7, 2018, nine days after the crash of [[Lion Air]] flight [[Lion Air Flight 610|JT610]] which killed all 189 people on board, the Federal Aviation Administration issued an emergency airworthiness directive concerning a possible problem with the AoA ([[Angle of attack|Angle of Attack]]) display of the [[Boeing 737 MAX]] 8 and MAX 9 aircraft types.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://ifn.news/posts/faa-issues-emergency-airworthiness-directive-for-boeing-737-max/|title=FAA issues Emergency Airworthiness Directive for Boeing 737 MAX|author=Jakob Wert|date=November 7, 2018|work=International Flight Network|access-date=November 8, 2018}}</ref>
* On January 6, 2024, the FAA issued an EAD grounding all [[Boeing 737 MAX 9]] aircraft for inspections, following an incident one day earlier on [[Alaska Airlines Flight 1282]] where a door plug blew out while the flight was underway, leading to [[uncontrolled decompression]] of the cabin and subsequent emergency landing of the aircraft involved.<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-67903655 |title=FAA grounds 171 Boeing planes after mid-air blowout on Alaska Airlines jet |last=Wright |first=George |website=[[BBC News]] |date=2024-01-07 |access-date=2024-01-07}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
* [http://www.faa.gov/ FAA]
* [http://www.bazl.admin.ch/index.html?lang=en FOCA]
* [http://easa.europa.eu/ EASA]

[[Category:Aviation licenses and certifications]]
[[Category:Aviation safety]]
[[Category:Aircraft maintenance]]


{{aviation-stub}}