Attention:
Owners and operators of Airbus Canada Limited Partnership Aeroplanes Model BD-500-1A10 and BD-500-1A11, all serial numbers
| File Classification No.: | Z 5000-35 |
|---|---|
| RDIMS No.: | 19943802 |
| Document No.: | CASA 2023-07 |
| Issue No.: | 01 |
| Effective Date: | 2023-12-28 |
Purpose:
The purpose of this Civil Aviation Safety Alert (CASA) is to provide awareness and guidance related to the operation of A220 series aeroplanes on contaminated runways. Under certain contaminated runway conditions, degraded anti-skid performance may occur, possibly inducing locked wheel(s) condition, resulting in a degraded braking performance, and contributing to lateral deviations and/or longitudinal overruns. This CASA draws attention to relevant mitigations recommended by Airbus Canada’s Flight Operators Transmissions (FOT).
Background:
In-service events of degraded anti-skid performance on contaminated runways during landing that led to transient locked wheel(s) have been reported.
It has been found that despite the Locked Wheel Protection feature implemented in the A220 aeroplane, the wheels did not recover a free rotation due to the low friction between the contaminated runway and the tire. When the wheel speed was below 30 knots (kts), although the aircraft speed was above 30 kts, the locked wheel protection was inhibited, and the wheel(s) locked.
The locked wheel conditions may be asymmetric or symmetric between both tires on one main gear and/or between both main gears. This may result in a degraded braking performance and directional control issues – the aircraft may deviate longitudinally and laterally, particularly with crosswind, when operating on contaminated surfaces. The tires may also be found damaged post-flight or during the external walkaround.
Recommended action:
Owners and operators should ensure that all flight crews are aware of and apply the recommended operational procedures/guidelines provided by Airbus Canada in A220-FOT-00-00-001 Revision A, dated 28 July 2023, or later revisions, and A220-FOT-32-40-002 Revision-, dated 12 September 2023, or later revisions. Those recommendations aim to mitigate the degraded anti-skid performance for operations on contaminated runways.
Owners and operators should make every effort to ensure that the procedures and limitations in the Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) and Flight Crew Operating Manual (FCOM) are known and adhered to by flight crews operating the affected aeroplanes on a contaminated runway.
Within Canada, in accordance with the reporting requirement of Part V, subpart 21 (521) of the Canadian Aviation Regulation (CAR), owners, operators and maintainers should submit a Service Difficulty Report (SDR) to Transport Canada for the discovery of each reportable service difficulty. (Please note that if any occurrence of degraded anti-skid performance when operating on contaminated runaway occurs, an SDR should be submitted). Outside Canada, report any such occurrence in accordance with local reporting requirements.
Transport Canada continues to engage with Airbus Canada to assess this issue. Transport Canada might recommend or mandate corrective actions, as necessary.
Contact office:
For more information concerning this issue, contact a Transport Canada Centre; or contact João Falcão, Continuing Airworthiness in Ottawa, by telephone at 1-888-663-3639, by fax at 613-996-9178 or by e-mail at TC.CAWWEBFEEDBACK-retroactionWebMDLN.TC@tc.gc.ca.
Original signed by
Jenny Young
Chief, Continuing Airworthiness
National Aircraft Certification
The Transport Canada Civil Aviation Safety Alert (CASA) is used to convey important safety information and contains recommended action items. The CASA strives to assist the aviation industry's efforts to provide a service with the highest possible degree of safety. The information contained herein is often critical and must be conveyed to the appropriate office in a timely manner. The CASA may be changed or amended should new information become available.