Russian authorities demand inspection of all Superjet 100s

Cracks in the lugs of the stabilizer upper and lower bracket attachment bands has been detected on at least six SSJ 100 aircraft (Photo by SCAC)

Russia’s Federal Air Transport Agency has issued an Airworthiness Directive to inspect the total fleet of Sukhoi Supperjet 100 (SSJ 100) regional jets after the cracks in the lugs of the stabilizer upper and lower bracket attachment bands were detected during a planned inspection of the aircraft with tail number RA-89010 operated by Russia’s IrAero airline. The AD orders detailed inspection of the relevant units on all aircraft of the type in the presence of OEM’s experts, as follows from EASA’s official website.

The inspection results are to be submitted to FATA. The authority has also ordered the stabilizer joints to be inspected during each daily check (DY-check). The operators are also obliged to weekly perform instrument inspection of the stabilizer joint straps and bracket attachment and ground the aircraft should the defect be found.

SCAC said it has already started checking the SSJ 100 fleet in operation and issued a technical solution for continued airworthiness of the aircraft. “In case such defects are detected they will be rectified in the shortest time. SCAC has all of the necessary designer, production and technical resources for that,” the OEM assured in an official statement. The inspection does not require grounding of the entire fleet.

The manufacturer also emphasized that the defect is “not critical to the aircraft operation.” The joint has a multi-level redundancy system and was designed with a stability margin far exceeding its service loads, SCAC assured without providing any additional details.

The defect has been found on six aircraft. According to TASS newswire, Russia’s largest SSJ 100 operator Aeroflot has conducted the inspections, but the airline refused to comment on the results. Yamal Airlines has not detected any defects on its aircraft, according to Interfax, and its aircraft continue flying. IrAero said it would not provide any information until they receive an official conclusion from SCAC.

The inspection results will be examined by jointly by SCAC and FATA, after which all operators will receive additional recommendations for prevention of the defect. Any necessary repairs will be done by the OEM as warranty service.

As of mid-November there are 85 SSJ 100s in service with 12 operators in Russia, Central Europe, Central America and South-East Asia.