COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY
SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE
For the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below issues the following Airworthiness Directive (AD) under subregulation 39.1 (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 A330 Series Aeroplanes
AD/A330/33 Air Conditioning Pack Ram Air Outlet Ducts 6/2004
Applicability: Model A330 aircraft, with serial numbers 0012, 0017, 0138, 0140, 0144, 0148, 0153,
0155, 0162, and 0165.
Requirement: Modify the ram air outlet ducts of the two air conditioning packs in accordance with Airbus Service Bulletin A330-53-3132 Revision 01.
Note: DGAC AD F-2004-050 refers.
Compliance: Before the accumulation of 12,000 flight cycles from the first flight.
This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 10 June 2004.
Background: The manufacturer has determined that the ram air outlet duct structure of the air conditioning packs may crack due to fatigue. Aircraft that had a reinforcement incorporated during production now require modification action, due to analyses of crack initiation around a threshold of 12,000 flight cycles.
David Villiers
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority 28 April 2004
The above AD is notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 19 May 2004.
Overview
The Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998, enacted by the Australian Parliament, provide a comprehensive framework for ensuring the safety of civil aviation within Australia. One such regulation is the Airworthiness Directive (AD) issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), aimed at addressing specific safety concerns that may arise with certain aircraft models. For instance, AD/A330/33 pertains to the Airbus Industrie A330 Series aeroplanes and focuses on the modification of the ram air outlet ducts of the air conditioning packs. This directive was introduced to rectify an unsafe condition identified by the manufacturer, Airbus Industrie, where the ram air outlet duct structure of the air conditioning packs could crack due to fatigue, particularly after a threshold of 12,000 flight cycles. The AD mandates that specific modifications, as outlined in Airbus Service Bulletin A330-53-3132 Revision 01, be undertaken to ensure the continued airworthiness and safety of the affected aircraft models.
Scope and Application
The Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998, as part of the legislative instrument F2006B02008, establishes the framework for ensuring the safety of civil aviation within Australia. This particular Airworthiness Directive (AD) applies specifically to Airbus Industrie A330 Series Aeroplanes, more precisely to those aircraft with the serial numbers 0012, 0017, 0138, 0140, 0144, 0148, 0153, 0155, 0162, and 0165. The directive mandates modifications to the ram air outlet ducts of the two air conditioning packs in accordance with Airbus Service Bulletin A330-53-3132 Revision 01. The AD becomes effective from 10 June 2004, and compliance must be achieved before the accumulation of 12,000 flight cycles from the first flight of the affected aircraft. This regulatory measure is issued under the authority of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and is aimed at correcting an unsafe condition identified in the specified aircraft models to prevent potential structural failures of the air conditioning pack ducts due to fatigue cracking.
Key Provisions
The main operative sections of this Airworthiness Directive (AD) are the applicability, requirement, and compliance sections (sections 3-5). The applicability section specifies the particular Airbus A330 aircraft models and serial numbers that the directive applies to. The requirement section mandates that the ram air outlet ducts of the two air conditioning packs be modified according to Airbus Service Bulletin A330-53-3132 Revision 01. The compliance section sets a deadline for the modification, stating that it must be completed before the aircraft accumulates 12,000 flight cycles from its first flight.
The obligations imposed by this AD are primarily on the aircraft operators and owners of the specified A330 aircraft models. They must ensure that the required modifications to the ram air outlet ducts are carried out in accordance with the instructions provided in the Airbus Service Bulletin. The AD requires these modifications to be completed before the aircraft reaches 12,000 flight cycles, meaning that operators must monitor the flight cycles of the affected aircraft and schedule the necessary maintenance within the specified timeframe. Failure to comply with the AD could result in the aircraft being deemed unairworthy.
The AD also carries potential civil and criminal consequences for non-compliance. Specifically, section 39.1(1) of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 empowers the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to issue such directives and section 39.1(3) mandates that operators must comply with them. Non-compliance with an AD can be considered a breach of the regulations, potentially leading to enforcement actions by CASA. Such actions could include fines, suspension of the aircraft’s certificate of airworthiness, or even prosecution under the Civil Aviation Act 1988. The maximum penalties for offences under the Civil Aviation Act can include substantial fines and imprisonment, reflecting the serious nature of non-compliance with airworthiness directives.