Airworthiness Directives; The Boeing Company Airplanes

We are superseding Airworthiness Directive (AD) 2012-16-07 for certain The Boeing Company Model 737-500 series airplanes. AD 2012-16- 07 required inspections of the fuselage skin at the chem-milled steps, and repair if necessary. This new AD adds new inspections, permanent repairs of time-limited repairs, related investigative and corrective actions if necessary, and skin panel replacement. This AD was prompted by evaluation by the design approval holder (DAH) that indicates that the fuselage skin is subject to widespread fatigue damage (WFD), and reports of cracking in certain areas of the fuselage skin. We are issuing this AD to address the unsafe condition on these products.