COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY
SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
Bell Helicopter Textron 204 Series Helicopters
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.
AD/BELL 204/38 Tail Rotor Driveshaft Hangar Bearings 8/2000
Applicability: Model 204B.
Requirement: Action in accordance with the technical requirements of FAA AD 92-13-10.
Compliance: Before further flight after the effective date of this directive.
This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 10 August 2000.
Background: Following the loss of a Bell model 412 it was discovered that certain batch/s of bearings had been contaminated during manufacture. This directive is issued to preclude any of those bearings re-entering service in an Australian helicopter. It also follows the re-introduction of the AD Series after sixteen years.
David Alan Villiers
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority 6 July 2000
The above AD is notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 12 July 2000.
Overview
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, as amended, were enacted to ensure the safety of civil aviation in Australia. The specific Airworthiness Directive (AD) for Bell Helicopter Textron 204 Series Helicopters was introduced by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to address safety concerns identified in the tail rotor driveshaft hangar bearings of the Model 204B helicopters. This AD was necessitated by the discovery of contaminated bearings in a batch used in a Bell model 412, which resulted in a loss of the aircraft. The directive mandates specific actions to be taken in accordance with the Federal Aviation Administration’s (FAA) AD 92-13-10 to prevent the use of these unsafe bearings in Australian helicopters, ensuring compliance before further flights after the directive’s effective date of 10 August 2000. This legislative instrument aims to maintain the highest safety standards in civil aviation, preventing unsafe conditions from re-entering service.
Scope and Application
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, under Part 39 - 105, specifically Airworthiness Directives, addresses the safety requirements for the Bell Helicopter Textron 204 Series Helicopters, with this particular directive focusing on the tail rotor driveshaft hangar bearings. This directive applies to all Model 204B helicopters, necessitating specific action to rectify an unsafe condition identified in certain batch/s of bearings that had been contaminated during manufacture. The directive mandates compliance with the technical requirements outlined in FAA AD 92-13-10, and requires that the specified action be taken before further flight after the effective date of this directive, which is set as 10 August 2000. The geographic and jurisdictional reach of this directive is confined to the Commonwealth of Australia, enforced by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Any deviation from these requirements could potentially render the aircraft non-compliant with Australian civil aviation safety standards, thus impacting the operator’s ability to legally fly the affected aircraft within Australia.
Key Provisions
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, under Part 39, specifically within the schedule of Airworthiness Directives, addresses the safety and maintenance requirements for various aircraft. The Airworthiness Directive (AD) in question, AD/BELL 204/38, focuses on the tail rotor driveshaft hangar bearings of Bell Helicopter Textron 204 Series Helicopters, particularly the Model 204B. This AD was issued on 6 July 2000 by a delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) and became effective on 10 August 2000.
The main requirement of AD/BELL 204/38 is that the action specified in the directive must be carried out on the relevant helicopters before further flight. This action is aligned with the technical requirements outlined in FAA AD 92-13-10. Essentially, this directive mandates that specific maintenance procedures be undertaken on the tail rotor driveshaft hangar bearings to ensure they are not contaminated and safe for operation. The directive aims to prevent the re-introduction of potentially faulty bearings into service, following an incident where a Bell model 412 was lost due to bearing contamination.
The obligations imposed by this directive on the parties governed by it, particularly operators and owners of Bell Helicopter Textron 204 Series Helicopters, include conducting the necessary maintenance as specified in FAA AD 92-13-10 before any further flight after the effective date of the directive. Failure to comply with the requirements of this AD could result in the aircraft being deemed unairworthy, thus preventing it from being operated until the specified maintenance is completed.
Failure to comply with the AD/BELL 204/38 could lead to significant consequences. Under the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, non-compliance with an Airworthiness Directive can result in civil and criminal penalties. Specifically, operators and owners who do not adhere to the requirements of this directive could face fines and other sanctions. The exact penalties would depend on the severity of the non-compliance and any resulting harm or risk to aviation safety. The directive underscores the importance of adhering to safety regulations to maintain the airworthiness of the aircraft.