Overview

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority Airworthiness Directive AD/A320/154 was enacted in 2004 to address the unsafe condition of arcing at the Integrated Drive Generator (IDG) feeder cable pylon/nacelle interface connector of Airbus Industrie A319, A320, and A321 series aeroplanes with IAE V2500 engines. The directive was issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) delegate, James Coyne, under subregulation 39.1 (1) of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998. The policy objective was to mitigate the risk of intermittent electrical power supply and flickering of display units, transient disconnection of systems, and loss of IDG power supply on the affected engine, which could result in significant safety hazards during flight. The directive required the incorporation of specific operational procedures in the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) to ensure appropriate action is taken in the event of such occurrences.

Scope and Application

The Airworthiness Directive issued under the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 applies specifically to Airbus Industrie A319, A320, and A321 series aeroplanes equipped with IAE V2500 engines. This applies to all serial numbers of the mentioned aircraft models, namely A319-131, -132, -133; A320-231, -232, -233; and A321-131, -231, -232. The directive mandates operational procedures to be incorporated into the Aircraft Flight Manual to address issues of pin to socket arcing at the Integrated Drive Generator (IDG) feeder cable pylon/nacelle interface connector, which can lead to intermittent electrical power supply issues during flight. The geographic scope of this directive is the Commonwealth of Australia, issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The directive becomes effective as of 18 June 2004, and compliance is mandatory for all applicable aircraft. This AD does not explicitly state any exclusions, exemptions, or thresholds, but the procedures outlined must be strictly followed in the event of observed symptoms such as flickering displays or transient disconnection of systems. The application of this AD can be further detailed through subordinate instruments, which may provide additional guidelines or clarifications on the implementation of the specified operational procedures.

Key Provisions

The Airworthiness Directive (AD/A320/154) pertains to Airbus Industrie A319, A320, and A321 series aeroplanes with IAE V2500 engines, specifically those with serial numbers A319-131, -132, and -133; A320-231, -232, and -233; and A321-131, -231, and -232. The directive mandates that specific operational procedures be incorporated into the Aircraft Flight Manual (AFM) to address intermittent electrical power supply issues potentially caused by arcing at the Integrated Drive Generator (IDG) feeder cable pylon/nacelle interface connector (section 1). To comply, AFM Temporary Revision 4.02.00/20 or a copy of the provided text must be inserted into the AFM (section 2). This action is necessary if sustained flickering of primary flight display (PFD), navigation display (ND), electronic centralised aircraft monitor (ECAM), and/or multi-purpose control display unit (MCDU), along with warnings and flags affecting systems such as the autopilot (AP), yaw damper (YD), and electrical data, are observed (section 3). The AD imposes obligations on aircraft operators to ensure the updated operational procedures are correctly documented in the AFM, effectively mitigating the risk of electrical arcing and its associated symptoms. The amendment requires operators to maintain the specified generator (GEN1 or GEN2) in the OFF position for the remainder of the flight if specific equipment (DMC1, ECAM upper display unit (DU), PFD1, ND1, MCDU1, automatic distribution relay (ADR1), GEN1, etc.) or (DMC2, ECAM lower DU, PFD2, ND2, MCDU2, ADR2, GEN2, etc.) are involved in the incident (section 4). Operators must also be prepared to start the auxiliary power unit (APU) and use its generator if available (section 5). Failure to comply with this AD may result in safety risks, including intermittent electrical power supply, transient disconnection of several systems, triggering of aircraft system warnings and/or flags, loss of IDG power supply on the affected engine, and flickering of cabin lights. The directive highlights the potential severity of these occurrences, which may compromise the safe operation of the aircraft. Non-compliance with the AD could lead to significant safety issues and potential enforcement actions by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). CASA may impose penalties or take other regulatory actions to ensure compliance with the AD, thereby maintaining the highest standards of air safety.