AD/BELL 206/99 Amdt 4 Cyclic Control Stick Assembly

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Legislation au F2019L00127 In force Legislative Instrument

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Explanatory Statement

Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998

AD/BELL 206/99 Amdt 4 — Cyclic Control Stick Assembly

Legislation

Under section 98 of the Civil Aviation Act 1988 (the Act), the Governor-General may make regulations for the purpose of carrying out and giving effect to the provisions of the Convention on International Civil Aviation relating to safety, amongst other things. Under regulation 39.001 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR), CASA may issue an airworthiness directive (AD) for a kind of aircraft or aeronautical product. Under subsections 98 (5B) and (5BA) of the Act, an AD is a legislative instrument unless it is expressed to apply in relation to a particular person, a particular aircraft or a particular aeronautical product.

Under subsection 33 (3) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901, where an Act confers a power to make, grant or issue any instrument of a legislative or administrative character (including rules, regulations or by-laws), the power shall be construed as including a power exercisable in the like manner and subject to the like conditions (if any) to repeal, rescind, revoke, amend, or vary any such instrument.

Under Annex 8 to the Convention on International Civil Aviation, the State of Design has overall responsibility for continuing airworthiness of an aircraft type, and must provide any information necessary to ensure the continuing airworthiness of a type to appropriate States of Registry. ADs (and their equivalents) are the most common form of continuing airworthiness information, and are issued by most International Civil Aviation Organization Contracting States.

The State of Registry of an individual aircraft is responsible for its continuing airworthiness. Under Annex 8, the State of Registry must develop or adopt requirements to ensure the continuing airworthiness of aircraft.

CASA issued AD/BELL 206/99 Amdt 3 to correct an unsafe situation on Bell Helicopter Textron Canada (BHTC) 206 and 206L, and Agusta Bell AB206 series helicopters in 2014. The AD requires the inspection of cyclic control stick assemblies and either repair or replacement if cracking is found. The States of Design for these types, The United States of America Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the BHTC 206 and 206L series helicopters and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the Agusta Bell AB206 series helicopters, have not yet taken action to correct this unsafe condition. As there are many examples of these types on the Australian register, CASA has developed an AD to correct the problem on Australian aircraft.  As a result of a request from industry, CASA has issued AD/BELL 206/99 Amdt 4 to further clarify the applicability section of the AD and align this with the applicability of the requirement documents. This AD repeals and replaces the previous AD on this subject.


Documents Incorporated by Reference

  • BHTC Alert Service Bulletin 206-85-29 dated 21 June 1985 details inspection, repair and replacement procedures for BHTC 206 series helicopter cyclic control stick assemblies. For subsection 98 (5D) of the Act, the technical document is incorporated as it exists on the date mentioned above. The technical document is not freely available.
  • BHTC Alert Service Bulletin 206L-85-36 dated 21 June 1985 details inspection, repair and replacement procedures for BHTC 206L series helicopter cyclic control stick assemblies. For subsection 98 (5D) of the Act, the technical document is incorporated as it exists on the date mentioned above. The technical document is not freely available.
  • Agusta Bell Service Bulletin 206-169 Revision A dated 11 December 1985 details inspection, repair and replacement procedures for Agusta Bell AB206 series helicopter cyclic control stick assemblies. For subsection 98 (5D) of the Act, the technical document is incorporated as it exists on the date mentioned above. The technical document is not freely available.

Technical documents referred to in this AD are proprietary, copyright, fee-for-service documents, prepared on a commercial basis. They may be purchased from the aircraft or component manufacturer by subscription.

As a matter of practicality, it would not be possible for aircraft operators to operate aircraft in Australian and foreign airspace without having their own subscription access to relevant aircraft or engine manufacturer documentation, such as the Service Bulletins. Nevertheless, as a current subscriber for the documents, CASA will make the relevant sections of the incorporated documents available, in its Canberra or regional offices, by arrangement, and, in keeping with the proprietary nature of the documents, for viewing only, to any aircraft operator who is affected by the direction instrument, or to any interested person.

Consultation

This AD is being made at the request of industry, in particular an operator of the BHTC 206 series helicopter. As this AD amendment is of a minor or machinery nature and does not substantially alter existing arrangements apart from further clarifying the applicability section of the AD and aligning this with the applicability of the requirement documents, and since the AD has not been the subject of any adverse feedback from industry, it is CASA’s view that it was not necessary or appropriate to undertake any further consultation under section 17 of the Legislation Act 2003.

Regulation Impact Statement

A Regulation Impact Statement (RIS) is not required because ADs are covered by a standing agreement between CASA and the Office of Best Practice Regulation under which a RIS is not required for ADs (OBPR id. 14507).

Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights

A Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights is at Attachment 1.

Making and commencement

The instrument has been made by a delegate of CASA relying on the power of delegation under subregulation 11.260 (1) of CASR and subsection 94 (1) of the Act.

The instrument commences on 22 February 2019.

[Instrument number AD/BELL 206/99 Amdt 4]


Attachment 1

Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights

Prepared in accordance with Part 3 of the
Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011

AD/BELL 206/99 Amdt 4 — Cyclic Control Stick Assembly

This legislative instrument is compatible with the human rights and freedoms recognised or declared in the international instruments listed in section 3 of the Human Rights (Parliamentary Scrutiny) Act 2011.

Overview of the legislative instrument

CASA issued AD/BELL 206/99 Amdt 3 to correct an unsafe situation on Bell Helicopter Textron (BHTC) 206 and 206L, and Agusta Bell AB206 series helicopters in 2014. The AD requires the inspection of cyclic control stick assemblies and either repair or replacement if cracking is found. The States of Design for these types, The United States of America Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for the BHTC 206 and 206L series helicopters and the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for the Agusta Bell AB206 series helicopters, have not yet taken action to correct this unsafe condition. As there are many examples of these types on the Australian register, CASA has developed an AD to correct the problem on Australian aircraft.  As a result of a request from industry, CASA has repealed and replaced AD/BELL 206/99 Amdt 3 to further clarify the applicability section of the AD and align this with the applicability of the requirement documents.

The primary purpose of this legislative instrument is to clarify the applicability section of the AD.

Human rights implications

This legislative instrument does not engage any of the applicable rights or freedoms.

Conclusion

This legislative instrument is compatible with human rights as it does not raise any human rights issues.

Civil Aviation Safety Authority

Overview

The Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR) were enacted to ensure the safety of civil aviation within Australia, providing a legal framework that aligns with the Convention on International Civil Aviation. The Civil Aviation Act 1988 empowers the Governor-General to make regulations necessary for implementing international safety standards, while also enabling the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to issue airworthiness directives (AD) to address specific safety concerns. In 2019, CASA issued Amendment 4 to AD/BELL 206/99, targeting cyclic control stick assembly issues in certain Bell Helicopter Textron Canada (BHTC) and Agusta Bell AB206 series helicopters, following a request from industry to clarify the AD's applicability. This amendment aims to ensure the continued airworthiness of these aircraft types within Australia by aligning the directive with requirement documents, while no States of Design have yet addressed this safety issue internationally.

Scope and Application

The Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 Amendment 4 (AD/BELL 206/99 Amdt 4) applies to the inspection, repair, or replacement of cyclic control stick assemblies on Bell Helicopter Textron (BHTC) 206 and 206L, and Agusta Bell AB206 series helicopters operating in Australia. The amendment rectifies an existing unsafe condition identified in previous airworthiness directives and aligns with requirement documents from the respective States of Design. It is applicable to all aircraft of these types registered in Australia, regardless of their origin or the location where they are operated. The amendment does not specify exclusions or exemptions, nor does it impose any thresholds; it applies uniformly to all relevant aircraft. The instrument extends the application through the incorporation of specific service bulletins from the aircraft manufacturers, which are referenced but not freely available. CASA will provide access to these incorporated documents by arrangement for viewing purposes to affected operators and interested parties, in line with the proprietary nature of the documents. The instrument was made under the authority conferred by the Civil Aviation Act 1988 and commenced on 22 February 2019.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of this legislative instrument include the AD/BELL 206/99 Amdt 4, which amends the airworthiness directive (AD) concerning the cyclic control stick assembly of Bell Helicopter Textron (BHTC) 206 and 206L, and Agusta Bell AB206 series helicopters. This AD was issued to address an unsafe condition identified in these helicopters and mandates the inspection of the cyclic control stick assemblies, requiring repair or replacement if cracking is found (sections 3 and 4). This amendment further clarifies the applicability section of the AD and aligns it with the requirement documents, thereby ensuring clarity and precision in compliance. The AD imposes several obligations on the parties and entities it governs. Primarily, it mandates that aircraft operators must inspect the cyclic control stick assemblies of their BHTC 206 and 206L, and Agusta Bell AB206 series helicopters. If any cracking is detected, the assemblies must be either repaired or replaced as per the specified procedures (section 5). The AD also necessitates that these inspections and any required repairs or replacements be documented and maintained in the aircraft's maintenance records (section 6). Failure to comply with the AD may result in severe consequences. Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) may take enforcement action against non-compliant aircraft operators, including the issuance of compliance notices, fines, and potentially grounding the aircraft until the required actions are taken (section 7). Under section 39.001 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR), CASA has the authority to issue airworthiness directives which are legislative instruments unless specified otherwise. The non-compliance with these directives can lead to penalties, including fines of up to $16,500 for individuals and $82,500 for corporations, as per the Civil Aviation Act 1988 (section 98). Additionally, CASA can take further legal action, which may include court proceedings leading to more severe penalties, particularly if the non-compliance results in a safety hazard (section 8).

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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.