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PoliticsFederal rulesFederal Aviation Administration
Final ruleTook effect Sept. 10, 2026

Airworthiness Directives; Various Helicopters

Built by the Tribune's code from the Federal Register. No AI wrote this page. Published in the Federal Register Aug. 6, 2026. Document 2026-15978. Updated Nov. 7, 2026.

What it does

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2015-20-12 for certain Sikorsky Aircraft Corporation Model S-61A, D, E, L, N, NM, R, and V; Croman Corporation Model SH-3H; Carson Helicopters, Inc., Model S-61L and SH-3H; Glacier Helicopter, Inc., Model CH-3E; Robinson Air Crane, Inc., Model CH-3E, CH-3C, HH-3C and HH-3E; and Siller Helicopters Model CH-3E and SH-3A helicopters. AD 2015-20-12 required performing calculations to determine whether the main rotor shaft (MRS) was used in repetitive external lift (REL) operations or non-REL operations, performing a nondestructive inspection (NDI) of the REL MRS for cracks and, depending on the results of the NDI, replacing the MRS, marking any REL MRS at the time of the NDI, establishing retirement lives for each REL MRS, and removing from service any MRS with oversized dowel pin bores. Since the FAA issued AD 2015-20-12, a design re-evaluation shows that the MRS on certain helicopter models requires a lower life limit. This AD retains some of the requirements of AD 2015-20-12, and also reduces the retirement life for a certain MRS installed on certain helicopters and updates the type certificate holder name for some of the affected helicopter models. 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 482 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

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

Since then:

What happens next and when

This AD is effective September 10, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

The record as published

Document number2026-15978
ActionFinal rule.
AgenciesTransportation Department; Federal Aviation Administration
PublishedAug. 6, 2026
Effective dateSept. 10, 2026
Regulation identifier (RIN)2120-AA64
DocketFAA-2026-3488

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