Ad/A320/143 Amdt 2 - Fuel Tank Electrical Bonding (Cth)

AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

On the effective date specified below, and for the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below revokes Airworthiness Directive (AD) AD/A320/143 Amdt 1 and issues the following AD under subregulation 39.001(1) of CASR 1998.  The AD requires that the action set out in the requirement section (being action that the delegate considers necessary to correct the unsafe condition) be taken in relation to the aircraft or aeronautical product mentioned in the applicability section: (a) in the circumstances mentioned in the requirement section; and (b) in accordance with the instructions set out in the requirement section; and (c) at the time mentioned in the compliance section.

Airbus Industrie A319, A320 and A321 Series Aeroplanes

AD/A320/143 Amdt 2 Fuel Tank Electrical Bonding 19/2010

Applicability:

All A319 and A320 series aeroplanes without either Airbus modification 31888 embodied during production or Airbus Service Bulletin (SB) A320-28-1103 dated 14 June 2002 incorporated whilst in service.

Requirement:

Modify the aeroplane by incorporating improved electrical bonding in the fuel tanks in accordance with SB A320-28-1103 Revision 1 dated 1 April 2003 or later approved revision.

Note:  DGAC AD F-2002-476 R1 refers.

Compliance:

Remains unchanged as before 31 December 2007.

This Amendment becomes effective on 17 September 2010.

Background:

Insufficient electrical bonding may, in certain conditions such as lightning strike or static charge accumulation, lead to electrical arcing inside the fuel tanks that could result in ignition of fuel vapours causing a fuel tank explosion.

The original issue of this Directive required the addition of improved electrical bonding.

Amendment 1 introduced additional bonding requirements for aircraft that had yet to incorporate SB A320-28-1103 Revision 1.

This amendment approves the use of later revisions of SB A320-28-1103.

The original issue of this Airworthiness Directive became effective on 31 October 2002.

Amendment 1 of this Airworthiness Directive became effective on 15 April 2004.

Charles Lenarcic
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority

16 September 2010