Overview

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 (CAR 1998) are a comprehensive set of rules enacted by the Australian Parliament to regulate civil aviation in Australia, ensuring the safety and efficiency of air travel. One specific enactment within this framework is Airworthiness Directive (AD) AD/BAe 146/94, issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) on 13 December 2001. This directive was introduced to address safety concerns related to the chafing of the fuselage skin and reinforcing plates along the seal/fuselage contact area of British Aerospace BAe 146 Series Aeroplanes and Avro 146 aircraft with specific modifications. The objective of this AD is to mitigate the risk of unsafe conditions by mandating a specific inspection protocol in accordance with BAe Systems Mandatory Service Bulletin ISB.53-162, aiming to ensure the continued airworthiness of these aircraft.

Scope and Application

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, as amended, apply to all BAe 146 Series and Avro 146 aircraft with specific modifications embodied. This particular Airworthiness Directive (AD) issued under subregulation 39.1 (1) of the CAR 1998, pertains to the fuselage skin chafing issue identified in the BAe 146 Series aeroplanes, particularly those with modification HCM01037A embodied but without modification HCM01698A. The AD mandates a specific inspection procedure, detailed in BAe Systems Mandatory Service Bulletin ISB.53-162, to address the identified unsafe condition. Compliance with this AD requires an initial inspection before reaching 8,000 total landings or within 500 landings after 27 December 2001, whichever occurs later, followed by subsequent inspections at intervals not exceeding 4,000 landings until the aircraft complies with the modification HCM01698A. This AD becomes effective on 27 December 2001 and was notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 5 December 2001.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of this Airworthiness Directive (AD) are detailed in the requirement, applicability, and compliance sections. Specifically, section 13/2001 pertains to the British Aerospace BAe 146 Series aeroplanes, including all BAe 146 Series and all Avro 146 aircraft with the modification HCM01037A embodied, but without modification HCM01698A embodied. The directive mandates that inspections must be carried out in accordance with BAe Systems Mandatory Service Bulletin ISB.53-162. The initial inspection must occur before 8,000 total landings or within 500 landings after 27 December 2001, whichever is later. Subsequent inspections must be carried out at intervals not exceeding 4,000 landings, provided there is no damage or only allowable damage is present, until compliance with Service Bulletin 53-162-01698A (modification HCM01698A) is achieved. The AD imposes specific obligations on the parties or entities it governs, primarily focusing on the maintenance and inspection of the BAe 146 Series aeroplanes. Aircraft operators and maintenance personnel must adhere to the inspection schedule and procedures outlined in BAe Systems Mandatory Service Bulletin ISB.53-162. The inspections are crucial to address the issue of fuselage skin chafing and reinforcing plate damage along the seal/fuselage contact area. The AD requires these inspections to be performed meticulously to ensure that the identified unsafe condition is corrected and to prevent further deterioration or damage that could compromise the aircraft's safety. Any failure to comply with the AD may lead to serious consequences. While the regulations do not explicitly state specific offences or penalties in the text provided, non-compliance with Airworthiness Directives can generally result in enforcement actions by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Such actions may include grounding of the aircraft, fines, and other regulatory penalties. The severity of these consequences underscores the importance of adhering to the AD's requirements to maintain the safety and airworthiness of the aircraft.