Federal Register #2026-14-05

FAA Airworthiness Directives for Airbus SAS Aircraft: DRAIMS Software Update and Safety Modifications

This regulatory action from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) addresses airworthiness and safety compliance for specific Airbus SAS airplanes and helicopters. - Government Buyer: - Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Department of Transportation - OEMs Mentioned: - Airbus SAS (airplanes and helicopters) - European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) (as technical authority) - Products/Services Required: - Revision of Airplane Flight Manual (AFM) emergency procedures for Airbus A319, A320, and A321 models - Modification of Digital Radio and Audio Integrating Management System (DRAIMS) software to L4.3 standard for 544 U.S.-registered Airbus SAS airplanes - Includes audio management and RMP software and wiring modification at the 3rd occupant human-machine interface input - Repetitive cleaning and inspection of Lighting and Ancillaries Control Unit (LACU) for Airbus Helicopters models AS350B2, AS350B3, EC120B, and EC130B4 - Modification of Emergency Floatation System (EFS) activation switches and revision of Rotorcraft Flight Manual (RFM) for Airbus Helicopters - Unique or Notable Requirements: - Prohibits installation of affected DRAIMS parts on covered aircraft - Expands applicability to additional Airbus A321 models - Mandates both software and procedural changes for compliance - Helicopter directive requires ongoing maintenance actions until modifications are completed - No specific part numbers are provided; this is a regulatory compliance action, not a procurement of new products or services.

Description

The FAA is superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2025-11-02, which applied to certain Airbus SAS Model A319-151N, -153N, -171N, and -173N airplanes; A320-251N, -252N, -253N, -271N, -272N, and -273N airplanes; A321-251N, -251NX, -252N, -252NX, -253N, -253NX, -253NY, -271N, -271NX, -272N, and -272NX airplanes. The previous AD required revising the airplane flight manual to address dual loss of radio management panel data synchronization. Since then, a software modification for the digital radio and audio integrating management system (DRAIMS) has been developed to address the unsafe condition. This new AD continues to require the previous actions, requires modification of the DRAIMS, adds Model A321-271NY airplanes to the applicability, and prohibits installation of affected parts to address the unsafe condition.

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