COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation 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 CAR 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.

Airtractor AT 300, 400, and 500 Series Aeroplanes

AD/AT/24 Overturn Skid Plate 3/2003

Applicability: Model AT-250, AT-300, AT-301, AT-302, AT-400, AT-400A, AT-401, AT-401A,

AT-402, and AT-402A aircraft, with serial numbers up to and including 0829.

Model AT-501, AT-502, and AT-502A aircraft, with serial numbers up to and including 0147.

Requirement: Install overturn skid plate, part number 11411-1-500, or FAA-approved equivalent part number, in accordance with Snow Engineering Company Service Letter No. 97 dated 23 March 1991, Revised 3 October 2000, and the applicable maintenance manual.

Note: FAA AD 2002-25-09 Amdt 39-12985 refers.

Compliance: Before 20 September 2003, unless already accomplished.

This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 20 March 2003.

Background: The FAA received accident reports on Model AT-301 and AT-401 aircraft. The reports indicate that the aircraft skids tail first during an overturn, the windshield and curved overturn tube acts as a scoop, foreign material enters the cockpit if the canopy is damaged; and this foreign material then enters into the cabin area and possibly contributes to pilot deaths. The actions required by this Directive are intended to minimise the possibility of dirt or mud penetrating the cockpit during an overturn skid and causing pilot asphyxia or injury.

David Alan Villiers

Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority 6 February 2003

The above AD is notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 26 February 2003.

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