Leonardo S.p.A.

Via Giovanni Agusta, 520

21017 Cascina Costa di Samarate (VA) Italy
Tel.: +39 0331 229111 - Fax: +39 0331 229605/222595

SERVICE BULLETIN N° 119-087

DATE: March 6, 2018
REV. : B-December 5, 2018

TITLE
ATA 53 – LEFT AND RIGHT COUNTERTORQUE CROSSBEAM FITTING PLATE
ASSEMBLIES P/N 109-0330-17 INSPECTION OF.

REVISION LOG
Revision B is issued in order to:
 correct effectivity of Part I and Part II.

NOTE
Helicopters from S/N 14929 to 14937 included must
now comply with Part II. They can calculate the
compliance to Part II from the date of issuance of this
revision

An appropriate entry should be made in the aircraft log book upon accomplishment.
If ownership of aircraft has changed, please, forward to new owner.

Page 1 of 15
 1. PLANNING INFORMATION

A. EFFECTIVITY
Part I: A119/AW119MKII helicopters S/N 14938 and subs.
Part II: All A119/AW119MKII helicopters up to S/N 14937 included.

NOTE
Helicopters already equipped with stainless steel
plates assy P/N 109-0330-17-115/-116 are not affected
by Part II of this Service Bulletin.

NOTE
Helicopters which have already complied with Part I do
not need to perform Part I again.

NOTE
Helicopters which are already complying with Part II
can maintain the current scheduling.

B. COMPLIANCE
Part I:
 For helicopter having accumulated less than 3000 (three thousand) landings:
at reaching of 3000 landings or within the next 200 landings whichever
comes later.
 For helicopter having accumulated more than 3000 (three thousand) landings:
within the next 200 landings.
Part II:
 For helicopter having accumulated less than 1400 (one thousand and four
hundred) landings:
at reaching of 1400 (one thousand and four hundred) landings or within the
next 100 landings whichever comes later and subsequently each 700
landings.
 For helicopter having accumulated more than 1400 (one thousand and four
hundred) landings:
within the next 100 landings and subsequently each 700 landings.

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
Page 2 of 15 REVISION: B - December 5, 2018
 NOTE
The number of accumulated landings must be
calculated either from new or from replacement of the
plates after this Service Bulletin (all revisions)
application, whichever is less.

C. CONCURRENT REQUIREMENTS
N.A.

D. REASON
This Service Bulletin is issued in order to introduce an inspection to the aluminum LH
and RH countertorque crossbeam fitting plate assemblies P/N 109-0330-17 to verify
the presence of cracks near the bossed holes of the plate.

E. DESCRIPTION
Cases of cracks of the aluminum alloy 7475 LH and RH countertorque crossbeam
fitting plate assemblies P/N 109-0330-17 around the bossed holes of the plates have
been reported on AW109 series helicopters. In no case these cracks had any effect on
flight behavior.
The performed investigation concluded that the cracks reported on the fitting plates
are due to a marginality of the design, associated with the peculiar installation process
and that the cracks do not affect the Safety of the Flight.
This Service Bulletin is issued with the purpose to provide the necessary instructions
to perform an eddy current non-destructive inspection to verify the presence of cracks
on the LH and RH countertorque crossbeam fitting plate assemblies P/N 109-0330-17
in the area highlighted in the Figure 1.

F. APPROVAL
The content of this Service Bulletin is approved under the authority of DOA nr.
EASA.21.J.005. For helicopters registered under other Aviation Authorities, before
applying the Service Bulletin, applicable Aviation Authority approval must be checked
within Leonardo Helicopters customer portal.

E.A.S.A. states mandatory compliance with inspections, modifications or technical

directives and related time of compliance by means of relevant Airworthiness
Directives.

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
REVISION: B - December 5, 2018 Page 3 of 15
 If an aircraft listed in the effectivity embodies a modification or repair not LHD certified
and affecting the content of this Service Bulletin, it is responsibility of the
Owner/Operator to obtain a formal approval by Aviation Authority having jurisdiction on
the aircraft, for any adaptation necessary before incorporation of the present Service
Bulletin.

G. MANPOWER
To comply with this Service Bulletin the following Maintenance-Man-Hours are
deemed necessary
Part I: approximately half an hour (0.5).
Part II: approximately sixteen (16) hours for the inspection.
Maintenance-Man-Hours are based on hands-on time and can change with personnel
and facilities available.

H. WEIGHT AND BALANCE

N.A.

I. REFERENCES

1) PUBLICATIONS

A119/AW119MKII-MM Maintenance Manual

SECTION DESCRIPTION
DM01 00-20-1 Helicopter on ground for a safe
maintenance
DM02 25-81-6 Passenger compartment roof
panels - Removal/installation

2) ACRONYMS
DOA Design Organization Approval
EASA European Aviation Safety Agency
LHD Leonardo Helicopters Division
LH Left
N.A. Not Applicable
P/N Part Number
RH Right
SB Service Bulletin
S/N Serial Number

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
Page 4 of 15 REVISION: B - December 5, 2018
 3) ANNEX
Annex A EDDY CURRENT WORK INSTRUCTIONS

J. PUBLICATIONS AFFECTED
A119/AW119MKII-MPM Maintenance Planning Manual (EASA)
A119/AW119MKII-MPM Maintenance Planning Manual (FAA)

K. SOFTWARE ACCOMPLISHMENT SUMMARY

N.A.

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
REVISION: B - December 5, 2018 Page 5 of 15
 2. MATERIAL INFORMATION

A. REQUIRED MATERIALS

1) PARTS
Part I and Part II: N.A.

2) CONSUMABLES
The following consumable materials, or equivalent, are necessary to accomplish this
Service Bulletin:
# P/N DESCRIPTION Q.TY NOTE
TT-N-95
1 Aliphatic naphtha AR (1)
(cod. 531055030)
CCC-C-46
2 Soft lint-free cloth AR (1)
(cod. 590210190)

3) LOGISTIC MATRIX
LOGISTIC P/N Q.TY (PER HELO) NOTE PART
N.A N.A N.A -

NOTE
(1) Local supply.

B. SPECIAL TOOLS
The following special tools, or equivalent, are necessary to accomplish this Service
Bulletin:
# P/N DESCRIPTION Q.TY NOTE PART
3 MIZ-21SR Eddy Current instrument 1 (B1-B3-B4) II
4 VM229F-6 45° absolute shielded probe 100500 kHz 1 (B2-B3-B4) II
5 VM99FBN-21 Adapter 1 (B2-B3-B4) II
6 VM99BM Cable assy (B2-B3-B4) II
Flat calibration reference block in II
7 Commercial AL-ALY 7475 treatment T73, with notch 0,5 1 (B4-B5)
mm deep
8 Commercial PTFE adhesive tape 1 (B4) II

SPECIAL TOOLS NOTE

(B1) Manufactured by Zetec Inc.
(B2) Manufactured by VM Products Inc.
(B3) Other instruments and/or probes can be used on mandatory condition that:
a. the probe is absolute and shielded type with frequency range 100-500 kHz;
b. the system “instrument plus probe” shall obtain equivalent results from the
calibration;

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
Page 6 of 15 REVISION: B - December 5, 2018
 c. the setup is at least carried out by a Level 2 inspector in accordance with
EN4179/NAS410 and the relevant Work Instruction is approved by a Level 3
inspector in accordance with EN4179/NAS410.
(B4) Local supply.
(B5) Flat block thickness sample 10 mm (thickness minimum applicable is 6 mm).

C. INDUSTRY SUPPORT INFORMATION

N.A.

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
REVISION: B - December 5, 2018 Page 7 of 15
 3. ACCOMPLISHMENT INSTRUCTIONS

GENERAL NOTES
a) The following procedures are applicable to left
countertorque crossbeam fitting plate assy P/N
109-0330-17 and to the right countertorque
crossbeam fitting plate assy P/N 109-0330-17.
b) Place an identification tag on all components that
are re-usable, including the attaching hardware that
has been removed to gain access to the
modification area and adequately protect them until
their later re-use.
c) All lengths are in mm.

PART I
1. Verify through the helicopter documentation if plates assemblies
P/N 109-0330-17-115/-116 have been replaced.
1.1 If the plates have not been replaced or if they have been replaced with stainless
steel plates P/N 109-0330-17-115/-116, proceed to step 2.
1.2 If the plates have been replaced with aluminum alloy plate assemblies
P/N 109-0330-17-111/-112 or previous dashes, perform the recurrent inspection
as prescribed within the Part II of this Service Bulletin, in accordance with the
schedule in the COMPLIANCE paragraph of this SB.
2. Return the helicopter to a ready to flight configuration and record for compliance with
Part I of this Service Bulletin on the helicopter logbook.
3. Send the attached compliance form to the following mail box:
aw109.mbx.aw@leonardocompany.com
As an alternative, gain access to My Communications section on Leonardo WebPortal
and compile the “Service Bulletin Application Communication”.

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
Page 8 of 15 REVISION: B - December 5, 2018
 PART II
1. In accordance with Maintenance Manual DM 00-20-1, prepare the helicopter on ground
for a safe maintenance. Disconnect the battery, all electrical power sources and/or the
external power supply.
2. In accordance with Maintenance Manual DM 25-81-6, remove the passenger cabin roof
panel liners to gain access to the left and right countertorque crossbeam fitting plate
assemblies P/N 109-0330-17.
3. Accurately clean the inspection area of the left and right countertorque crossbeam fitting
plate assy P/N 109-0330-17 by means of a soft lint-free cloth soaked in aliphatic
naphtha.
4. In accordance with the instructions given in Annex A perform the eddy current
non-destructive inspection of the countertorque crossbeam fitting plate assy
P/N 109-0330-17 along the connecting areas between plate and attacks as highlighted
in the Figure 1, in order to verify the presence of cracks.
4.1 If no damages are found on the left and right countertorque crossbeam fitting
plate assemblies P/N 109-0330-17, proceed as described in step 5 and following.
4.2 If one or both the countertorque crossbeam fitting plate assy P/N 109-0330-17
are found cracked, the fitting plate assy must be replaced before the next flight.
Contact Leonardo Helicopters Customer Support to the following mail box, in
order to arrange the shipment of the materials required to perform the
replacement of the plate assy.
aw109.mbx.aw@leonardocompany.com
5. Return the helicopter to a ready to flight condition and record for compliance with Part II
of this Service Bulletin on the helicopter logbook.
6. Send the attached compliance form to the following mail box:
aw109.mbx.aw@leonardocompany.com
As an alternative, gain access to My Communications section on Leonardo WebPortal
and compile the “Service Bulletin Application Communication”.

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
REVISION: B - December 5, 2018 Page 9 of 15
 ANNEX A
EDDY CURRENT WORK INSTRUCTIONS

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
Page 10 of 15 REVISION: B - December 5, 2018
 ANNEX A

THE PRESENT OPERATIVE WORK INSTRUCTION HAVE BEEN ALREADY APPROVED

BY LH EDDY CURRENT LEVEL 3

SCOPE
This Work Instruction defines the non-destructive inspection procedure by eddy current (ET) in
accordance with AWPS008X, of the A109 Plates Assy, Fitting Countertorque Crossbeam P/N 109-
0330-17.
The scope of the inspection is to detect possible cracks.

EQUIPMENT
For the inspection the following equipment shall be available:

 an Eddy Current “MIZ-21SR” instrument (manufactured by Zetec Inc. in USA) (see Note);
 a 45° absolute shielded probe 100500 kHz, P/N VM229F-6 (manufactured by VM Products
Inc. with adapter VM99FBN-21 for Zetec instrument) and the relevant cable VM99BM;
 a flat calibration reference block in aluminium, with notch 0,5 mm deep;
 some adhesive PTFE tape to protect the tip of the probe from wear damage and to simulate
the paint thickness on the reference block.

Note
Other instruments and/or probes can be used on mandatory condition that:
a. the probe is absolute and shielded type with frequency range 100-500kHz;
b. the system “instrument plus probe” shall obtain equivalent results from the calibration;
c. the setup is at least carried out by a Level 2 in accordance with EN4179/NAS410 and the
relevant Work Instruction is approved by the Level 3 in accordance with EN4179/NAS410.

INSPECTION AREAS
The areas to be inspected are the connecting areas between plate and attacks, as highlighted
in the Figure 1.

SURFACES PREPARATION
The whole surfaces to be inspected shall be free from any grease, scale, conductive sealants or
other excessive contaminants that can interfere with the inspections.
The surfaces shall be inspected either painted or unpainted provided that a proper calibration
reference block is used.

EXAMINATION
WARNING!
1. THE PROBE SHALL BE KEPT AS PERPENDICULAR AS POSSIBLE TO THE
SURFACE IN ALL PHASES OF THE INSPECTION.
2. DURING THE SCANNING, IT IS VERY IMPORTANT TO MOVE THE PROBE SLOWLY
AND UNIFORMLY.
3. TAKE CARE TO THE SIGNAL FROM THE EDGE EFFECT.

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
REVISION: B - December 5, 2018 Page 11 of 15
 ANNEX A

The calibration and the subsequent inspection shall be carried out in accordance with the
following sequence.

SET UP OF THE EQUIPMENT

Connect the probe on the instrument by relevant cable, switch on the instrument and set up the
parameters listed below:

45° absolute shielded probe VM229F-6

EC F1 TEST DISP1 SRC F1 ALM SRC D1

SETUP# neglect MODE X-Y ALARM IN

CONFIG neglect V SCALE D1 02 CHNG CENT

FREQ1 400K H SCALE D1 09 CHNG SIZE

DIFF F1 008 PHASE D1 as necessary (352) OUTPUT S

GAIN F1 63 POSITION D1 neglect STOR SCN0

MARK/CLR #0 LPS 000 250 RULER OFF

AUTOSET F1 AUTOCLEAR ON LCD ADJ

CALIBRATION
The calibration shall be carried out before the inspection and rechecked after the end of the
inspection; it shall be performed on the reference block detailed in the Par. – Equipment – in
accordance with the following sequence:
 put the sensor of the probe on the reference standard, press the compensation key and adjust
the phase of the instrument in a way that the lift-off signal results in horizontal deflection from
the centre to the left so that it is clearly distinguished from the defect indication (see trace A on
Figure 3),
 perform the scanning inspection on the reference standard to verify that, in correspondence of
the reference notch 0,5 mm deep, a deflection positioned at 45° clockwise about respect to the
lift-off signal, at least of three (3) main divisions of the screen (see trace B on Figure 3).

INSPECTION
When the instrument is calibrated, then inspect as follows:
 put the probe in a flat area far away from the edges, perform the compensation and adjust
the phase in a way that the lift-off signal results in horizontal deflection;
 perform detailed examination scanning in order to cover the whole areas to be inspected
using circular path directions (see Figure 2) with indexing not greater than 3 mm and
covering a tilting of the sensor from 90° up to 45°;
 in case relevant linear indications are identified, perform also a scanning perpendicular the
its main direction;
 recheck the instrument calibration as described before.

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
Page 12 of 15 REVISION: B - December 5, 2018
 ANNEX A

EVALUTATION
Any vertical deflection equal or greater than the set threshold (see red trace on Figure 3),
unless it can be attributed to change in geometry or due to edge effect, shall be considered
relevant indication and as such processed.
In this case, it shall be verified the instrument calibration and the inspection repeated to confirm
the crack.

PERSONNEL
The inspections performed in accordance with this procedure shall be carried out by personnel
qualified at least Level 2 in the Eddy Current Method in accordance with EN4179 or NAS410
international standards.

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
REVISION: B - December 5, 2018 Page 13 of 15
 ANNEX A

Figure 1 – Inspection areas connecting plate and attacks.

Figure 2 – Scan paths for the sensor to the surface, 90° and 45°. The arrows show the
scanning directions

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
Page 14 of 15 REVISION: B - December 5, 2018
 ANNEX A

THRESHOLD

Figure 3.Typical signal from the calibration phase (A = lift-off, B = indication from reference notch
0,5mm deep). The red hatched-line shows the acceptance/rejection threshold.

S.B. N°119-087
DATE: March 6, 2018
REVISION: B - December 5, 2018 Page 15 of 15
 Please send to the following address:
SERVICE BULLETIN COMPLIANCE FORM Date:

LEONARDO S.p.A.
CUSTOMER SUPPORT & SERVICES - ITALY Number:

PRODUCT SUPPORT ENGINEERING & LICENSES DEPT.

Via Giovanni Agusta, 520
21017 Cascina Costa di Samarate (VA) - ITALY Revision:
Tel.: +39 0331 225036 Fax: +39 0331 225988

Customer Name and Address: Telephone:

Fax:

B.T. Compliance Date:

Helicopter Model S/N Total Number Total Hours T.S.O.

Remarks:

Information:

We request your cooperation in filling this form, in order to keep out statistical data relevant to aircraft configuration up-to-date. The form should be filled in all
its parts and sent to the above address or you can communicate the application also via Technical Bulletin Application Communication Section placed in
Leonardo AW Customer Portal - MyCommunications Area. We thank you beforehand for the information given.