Airbus A220: Canada issues urgent safety directive

The Canadian Civil Aviation Authority has issued an urgent safety advisory for the Airbus A220 aircraft. It's about an issue with the autopilot that may be safety related. The following machines are affected: model BD-500-1A10, all serial numbers and model BD-500-1A11, all serial numbers.

“Engaging the autopilot during takeoff can result in a premature turn, potentially causing a tailstrike, inability to climb, or loss of control. Immediate crew intervention is required,” the Civil Aviation Administration of Canada said in an airworthiness directive.

“Airbus Canada has issued Flight Operations Transmission (FOT) A220-FOT-22-00-001 which provides operational recommendations and procedures for autothrottle controller selection and in the event of an autothrottle shutdown during takeoff. Operators should be aware that if the autothrottle is interrupted on takeoff above 60 knots (kts) and below 400 feet, it will not re-engage. The crew should not attempt to reengage the autopilot if it becomes disengaged during takeoff, as this may result in an unsafe condition if the autopilot is inadvertently engaged. This AD requires an amendment to the flight manual to include a new warning regarding engaging the autopilot on takeoff,” reads the directive.