You've done this a hundred times: pull a component to get at something behind it, button it back up the way it came out, and move on. It's routine, until you realize the work card never actually mandated a double-check on that reinstallation. That blind spot is exactly what happened on Bombardier's BD-700-2A12 (Global 7500), and it's why the FAA just finalized AD 2026-14-01. What looked like a routine procedure resulted in a critical structural integrity issue: missing or under-torqued fasteners on the slat 2 cove rib 6 bracket, a vital link in the wing's high-lift system.

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‍Field Notes

‍Transport Canada first flagged the issue after multiple production aircraft were found with fasteners either missing or not torqued to spec on the slat 2 cove rib 6 bracket, a condition common to both the left-hand and right-hand wings, and traced to serial numbers 70006 through 70089, plus 70091. Here's the part that makes this AD interesting: nobody skipped a step because they were careless. They skipped it because no step existed. Building the wing requires threading the slat 2's telescopic wiring harness through rib 6, which means removing the rib 6 assembly entirely, then bolting it back on once the harness is routed. Transport Canada's investigation found that this reinstallation was never written into the production plan as something to actually verify. Not a rushed technician, not a missed inspection, a checkpoint that was never designed into the process at all. According to the Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information (MCAI):

"Missing cove rib 6 load path may lead to reduced safety margins and subsequent loss of structural redundancy."

A "load path" is simply the route a structural force travels as it moves through the airframe, here, from the slat mechanism into rib 6, through its fasteners, and into the surrounding wing structure. Take a fastener out of that chain, or leave it loose, and the load doesn't disappear; it has to find another way through, putting stress on structure that wasn't designed to carry it alone.The FAA’s final rule requires operators to perform a general visual inspection (GVI) of all affected fasteners within the compliance timelines specified in the MCAI to confirm they’re present, properly torqued, and free of damage.

• If fasteners are missing or loose: Operators must install and torque new hardware before further flight.
• If structural damage is found: Including deformation, cracking, or other anomalies, repairs must be completed per approved instructions prior to departure.

This AD applies specifically to Bombardier BD‑700‑2A12 aircraft identified in Transport Canada AD CF‑2025‑46.‍

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Why It Matters

‍Strip away the specifics and this AD isn't really about a bracket, it's about a blind spot in how the build plan itself was written. Somewhere along the line, someone specified removing rib 6 to route the harness, and specified reinstalling it afterward, but nobody specified a plan for checking that the reinstall was done properly. It's not a process that broke down. It's a process that was incomplete from the start, a missing sentence, not a step someone forgot to follow. The same risk exists on any shop floor, not just an OEM's production line: a work card that removes a component for access is only as safe as the assumption behind it, and assumptions don't check themselves.

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