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Final ruleTook effect April 16, 2026

Airworthiness Directives; Bell Textron Canada Limited Helicopters

Built by the Tribune's code from the Federal Register. No AI wrote this page. Published in the Federal Register April 1, 2026. Document 2026-06369. Updated Nov. 13, 2026.

What it does

The FAA is adopting a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Bell Textron Canada Limited (Bell) Model 505 helicopters. The FAA previously sent this AD as an emergency AD to all known U.S. owners and operators of these helicopters. This AD was prompted by a failure of the hinge assembly on the aft movable ballast box assembly, which could allow the ballast weights to escape the ballast box and strike the tail rotor assembly. This AD requires revising the Limitations section of the existing rotorcraft flight manual (RFM) for the helicopter to prohibit the use of ballast weights within the aft movable ballast box assembly. 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 488 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

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

Since then:

What happens next and when

This AD is effective April 16, 2026. Emergency AD 2026-05-51, issued on March 6, 2026, which contained the requirements of this amendment, was effective with actual notice.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Document number2026-06369
ActionFinal rule; request for comments.
AgenciesTransportation Department; Federal Aviation Administration
PublishedApril 1, 2026
Effective dateApril 16, 2026
Comments closeMay 18, 2026
Regulation identifier (RIN)2120-AA64
DocketFAA-2026-3472

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