COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 106 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.
General Electric Turbine Engines - CF6 Series
AD/CF6/45 Fuel Tube Replacement 3/2002
Applicability: All General Electric CF6-80C2 series engines.
Requirement: Replace fuel tubes as appropriate in accordance with General Electric Alert Service Bulletins (SB):
- CF6-80C2 73-A0231 Revision 1.
b. CF6-80C2 73-A0224 Revision 2.
Note: FAA AD 2000-04-14 refers.
Compliance: Unless previously accomplished, at next engine shop visit.
This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 21 March 2002.
Background: GE first issued the above-mentioned SB’s in 1995 following a number of aborted take-offs and one in flight fire. This AD introduces the replacement of certain fuel tubes with fuel tubes of an improved self-centring design. The previous design caused hang-ups on the tube ferrule, resulting in fuel leaks when the engine was running at high power.
Eugene Paul Holzapfel
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority 8 February 2002
The above AD is notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 27 February 2002.
Overview
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 (CAR 1998) are a comprehensive set of regulations that govern all aspects of civil aviation in Australia. One of the key provisions in these regulations is Part 39, which deals with Airworthiness Directives (ADs). These ADs are issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) under subregulation 39.1(1) of CAR 1998 to address specific safety issues that may arise with aircraft or aeronautical products. The primary objective of these ADs is to ensure the highest standards of airworthiness and safety within Australia's civil aviation sector. One example of such an AD is AD/CF6/45, which was issued on 8 February 2002 to address an issue with fuel tubes in General Electric CF6-80C2 series engines. This directive was introduced following a series of aborted take-offs and an in-flight fire, which were traced back to a defect in the original fuel tube design. The AD mandates the replacement of certain fuel tubes with an improved self-centring design to prevent fuel leaks at high power settings, thus enhancing the overall safety of the aircraft.
Scope and Application
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, as amended by the Airworthiness Directive (AD) issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) delegate, applies to all General Electric CF6-80C2 series engines. This specific AD mandates the replacement of certain fuel tubes in compliance with General Electric Alert Service Bulletins, specifically CF6-80C2 73-A0231 Revision 1 and CF6-80C2 73-A0224 Revision 2, which were initially issued in 1995 due to reported incidents of aborted take-offs and an in-flight fire. The directive is intended to address the unsafe condition caused by the previous fuel tube design, which resulted in hang-ups on the tube ferrule and subsequent fuel leaks at high engine power. The requirement to replace the fuel tubes must be fulfilled at the next engine shop visit, and the directive became effective on 21 March 2002. This regulation applies across the Commonwealth of Australia and is enforced under the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, with no specific exclusions mentioned in the directive itself, though compliance may be subject to further interpretation and application through subordinate instruments.
Key Provisions
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically under Part 39, mandate the issuance of Airworthiness Directives (ADs) by a delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to address unsafe conditions identified in aircraft or aeronautical products. Section 39.1(1) allows the delegate to issue these directives, which must specify the actions required to correct the identified safety issues. For example, in AD/CF6/45, the delegate requires that fuel tubes in General Electric CF6-80C2 series engines be replaced (Section 3). This directive applies to all engines of the specified series (Section 4).
Entities governed by this Act, including aircraft operators and maintenance providers, are obligated to adhere to the specified directives. For instance, under AD/CF6/45, these parties must replace the fuel tubes in accordance with the instructions provided, specifically referencing General Electric Alert Service Bulletins CF6-80C2 73-A0231 Revision 1 and CF6-80C2 73-A0224 Revision 2 (Section 5). Compliance with these requirements must occur at the next engine shop visit, ensuring that any previous compliance does not exempt the operator from the directive (Section 7).
Failure to comply with an Airworthiness Directive can lead to civil and criminal consequences. Although the specific penalties are not detailed in this excerpt, non-compliance with ADs can result in enforcement actions by CASA, including fines and potential grounding of the aircraft. The seriousness of the safety issue addressed by AD/CF6/45, such as the risk of fuel leaks and in-flight fires, underscores the potential gravity of penalties for non-compliance. The directive became effective on 21 March 2002, and its publication in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 27 February 2002 ensures that all stakeholders are informed of the compliance requirements (Section 9).