The Federal Aviation Administration is tightening the maintenance limits on a specific Airbus Helicopters fleet. For operators of AS350B, AS350BA, AS350B1, AS350B2, AS350B3, AS350D, EC130B4 and EC130T2 helicopters, the change means the paperwork that guides inspections now has to reflect newer, more restrictive limits.
The final rule supersedes Airworthiness Directive 2022-11-08 and takes effect July 21, 2026. The agency says the older approach of relying on maintenance-record entries is no longer enough.
Inside the maintenance manual
The rule requires revising the airworthiness limitations section, or ALS, of the existing maintenance manual or instructions for continued airworthiness, as applicable. Operators also have to update the approved maintenance or inspection program.
AD 2022-11-08 had already required crews to incorporate certain airworthiness limitations into maintenance records. The new directive shifts the emphasis to the documents that crews and planners use every day, which means the compliance work has to be folded into ongoing operations rather than treated as a one-time note.
Why the change reaches the hangar floor
For maintenance teams, the ALS is the set of limits that shapes how an aircraft gets inspected and kept in service. Updating it can change shop routines, planning and signoff work even when the helicopter itself does not change.
The FAA says the update is needed to address an unsafe condition on these products.
Sources
Synthesized from 11 verified citationsSynthesized by AI linked to original documents.