Airworthiness Directives; Leonardo S.p.a. Helicopters

The FAA proposes to adopt a new airworthiness directive (AD) for certain Leonardo S.p.a. Model AW189 helicopters. This proposed AD was prompted by reports that the safety pin of the emergency flotation system and life raft was installed on the cylinder valve of the life raft bottle assembly. This proposed AD would require inspecting the left-hand (LH) side and right-hand (RH) side of the life raft bottle assembly and, depending on the inspection results, removing the safety pin from the cylinder valve. This proposed AD would also prohibit extended overwater flights until the corrective actions are accomplished. The FAA is proposing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.