AD/DAUPHIN/16 - Fuel Filter

Overview

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, administered by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, were enacted to establish comprehensive safety standards for civil aviation in Australia. This particular legislative instrument, AD/DAUPHIN/16, issued under the authority of the Civil Aviation Act 1988, addresses a specific safety concern identified in Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) Series Helicopters. The instrument was introduced to ensure that fuel filters, specifically those with part numbers 433 G20-2 or 433 G20-2 Amendment A on left and right sides, meet the necessary safety standards as outlined in Aerospatiale Service Bulletin No. 01-12. The policy objective of this directive is to maintain the airworthiness of the specified helicopter models by preventing potential fuel flow issues that could compromise flight safety. Compliance with this directive must be achieved within 50 hours of time in service after 30 June 1986 and whenever a new filter is installed, ensuring that any non-compliant filters are either modified or replaced as required.

Scope and Application

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically PART 39 - 105, mandate that all model SA365N helicopters equipped with LE BOZEC fuel filters P/N 433 G20-2 or P/N 433 G20-2 Amendment A on both left and right sides are subject to the Airworthiness Directive AD/DAUPHIN/16 concerning the fuel filter. This regulation applies to any person or entity operating these specified helicopters within the Commonwealth of Australia, ensuring adherence to safety standards prescribed by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. The directive requires compliance with Aerospatiale Service Bulletin No. 01-12, which involves checking the fuel flow at the by-pass valve outlet on the left and right filters as per the requirement document's paragraph 1c. Upon successful completion of the checks, an "X" must be engraved on the filter body following the Part Number marking. Notably, this directive does not apply to filters with part numbers P/N 433G 20 -2X, P/N 433 G 20-2 Amendment AX, and P/N 433 G 20-2 Amendment B and subsequent versions. Compliance with these requirements must be achieved within 50 hours of the helicopter's time in service after 30 June 1986 and subsequently whenever a filter of the applicable part number, not suffixed with the letter X, is installed.

Key Provisions

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically Part 39 - 105, include an Airworthiness Directive (AD/DAUPHIN/16) concerning the Eurocopter SA 360 and SA 365 (Dauphin) Series Helicopters (Section 1). This directive pertains to the fuel filter of the SA 365N helicopters equipped with LE BOZEC fuel filters P/N 433 G20-2 or P/N 433 G20-2 Amendment A, installed on both the left-hand (LH) and right-hand (RH) sides of the aircraft. The directive requires compliance with Aerospatiale Service Bulletin No. 01-12 (Section 2). The main requirement is to check the fuel flow at the bypass valve outlet on the LH and RH filters, in accordance with paragraph 1c of the requirement document. If the checks are satisfactory, the letter "X" must be engraved on the filter body, following the part number marking (Section 3). It is important to note that this directive does not apply to filters with part numbers P/N 433G 20-2X, P/N 433 G 20-2 Amendment AX, and P/N 433 G 20-2 Amendment B and subsequent (Section 4). The AD imposes compliance obligations on the operators of SA 365N helicopters with the specified fuel filters. Operators must ensure that the required checks and markings are carried out within 50 hours of time in service after 30 June 1986. Furthermore, whenever a filter of the applicable part number, which is not suffixed with the letter X, is installed, the checks and markings must be completed (Section 5). This requirement applies to all SA 365N helicopters in the Australian fleet that meet the specified criteria for the fuel filters. Failure to comply with the Airworthiness Directive can result in serious consequences. Non-compliance may lead to safety risks, potentially compromising the airworthiness of the helicopter. In terms of legal consequences, although the specific penalties are not outlined in the directive, non-compliance with airworthiness directives generally can result in enforcement actions by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). These actions can include fines, enforcement notices, or more severe measures such as grounding the aircraft until compliance is achieved. The penalties for non-compliance can be significant, reflecting the importance of adhering to airworthiness directives to maintain safety standards in civil aviation (Section 6).