Airworthiness Directives; Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH (AHD) Helicopters

Built by the Tribune's code from the Federal Register. No AI wrote this page. Published in the Federal Register Jan. 30, 2026. Document 2026-01878. Updated Nov. 15, 2026.

What it does

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for all Airbus Helicopters Deutschland GmbH (AHD) Model MBB-BK117 D-3 helicopters. This AD was prompted by a report of excessive wear on the bearing bolts, installed on the swashplate, connecting the cardan ring and the control ring assembly. This AD requires initial and repetitive inspections of the swashplate for vertical and radial play and, depending on the results of the inspections, corrective actions. This AD also prohibits installing any affected bolt unless the bolts are new or certain requirements are met. The FAA is issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.

The Federal Aviation Administration's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What changed in the regulation

1 part of Title 14 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

14 CFR 39

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The Federal Aviation Administration has published 489 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 518 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

616 earlier Federal Register documents under regulation identifier 2120-AA64 since Jan. 1, 2025.

Since then:

What happens next and when

This AD is effective February 17, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

The record as published

Document number	2026-01878
Action	Final rule; request for comments.
Agencies	Transportation Department; Federal Aviation Administration
Published	Jan. 30, 2026
Effective date	Feb. 17, 2026
Regulation identifier (RIN)	2120-AA64
Docket	FAA-2026-0731

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register