COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY
SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
Bombardier (Boeing Canada/De Havilland) DHC-8 Series Aeroplanes
AD/DHC-8/65 Thunderstorm Lights 10/99
Applicability: DHC-8 Series 100 aeroplanes Serial Numbers 003 through 020 inclusive without Modification 8/0198 incorporated.
Requirement: Install Bombardier Modification 8/0198 (Electrical Power - Thunderstorm Lights - Change Power Supply from Left Secondary Bus to Left Essential Bus) in accordance with Bombardier Regional Aircraft Ltd Service Bulletin 8-24-69 dated 8 December 1998.
Note: Transport Canada AD CF-99-21 refers.
Compliance: Within six months from the effective date of this Directive.
This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 7 October 1999.
Background: In aeroplanes without Modification 8/0198, the thunderstorm lights are supplied with electrical power from the left secondary bus rather than the essential bus. Should an aeroplane without the modification lose all generated electrical power, compliance with the flight manual emergency procedures will result in cockpit lighting not being available.
This Directive ensures that this anomaly is corrected.
Overview
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, enacted by the Australian Government, are intended to regulate civil aviation activities to ensure safety and efficiency. One aspect of these regulations is the issuance of Airworthiness Directives, which are legally binding instructions issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to address safety concerns or defects identified in specific aircraft types. This legislative instrument, F2006B09222, specifically addresses the safety of Bombardier (Boeing Canada/De Havilland) DHC-8 Series aeroplanes. The problem this directive addresses is the potential for cockpit lighting to be unavailable in the event of a total loss of generated electrical power in DHC-8 Series 100 aeroplanes without a particular modification. This issue arises because, in these aeroplanes, the thunderstorm lights are powered by the left secondary bus instead of the essential bus. The policy objective of this directive is to ensure that this safety anomaly is rectified by requiring the installation of Bombardier Modification 8/0198, which changes the power supply for the thunderstorm lights from the left secondary bus to the left essential bus, as per Bombardier Regional Aircraft Ltd Service Bulletin 8-24-69 dated 8 December 1998.
Scope and Application
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically Part 39 - 105, mandates the Airworthiness Directive AD/DHC-8/65 concerning Bombardier (Boeing Canada/De Havilland) DHC-8 Series aeroplanes, focusing on thunderstorm lights for DHC-8 Series 100 aeroplanes with Serial Numbers 003 through 020 inclusive that have not incorporated Modification 8/0198. The directive applies to these specific aircraft models and serial numbers, demanding the installation of Bombardier Modification 8/0198 to change the power supply of the thunderstorm lights from the left secondary bus to the left essential bus, as detailed in Bombardier Regional Aircraft Ltd Service Bulletin 8-24-69 dated 8 December 1998. Compliance with this directive is required within six months from its effective date of 7 October 1999, ensuring that cockpit lighting remains available in the event of a loss of all generated electrical power, thereby addressing the identified safety anomaly.
Key Provisions
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically in Part 39 - 105, detail an Airworthiness Directive (AD) pertaining to Bombardier (Boeing Canada/De Havilland) DHC-8 Series Aeroplanes, identified as AD/DHC-8/65 (1). This directive mandates the installation of Bombardier Modification 8/0198 (Electrical Power - Thunderstorm Lights - Change Power Supply from Left Secondary Bus to Left Essential Bus) for certain DHC-8 Series 100 aeroplanes. This requirement applies to aeroplanes with serial numbers ranging from 003 to 020 inclusive, provided they do not have Modification 8/0198 incorporated (2). The modification must be carried out in accordance with Bombardier Regional Aircraft Ltd Service Bulletin 8-24-69 dated 8 December 1998. This directive was issued to address an issue identified in aeroplanes where the thunderstorm lights are powered by the left secondary bus instead of the essential bus, which could lead to a lack of cockpit lighting in the event of a total electrical power loss (3).
The obligations imposed by this AD are clear and specific. Operators of the affected DHC-8 Series 100 aeroplanes must ensure that the required modification is implemented within six months from the directive's effective date of 7 October 1999 (4). This entails installing Bombardier Modification 8/0198 as outlined in the referenced service bulletin, ensuring that the power supply for the thunderstorm lights is changed from the left secondary bus to the left essential bus. Failure to comply with this directive within the stipulated timeframe would mean the aeroplane does not meet the required airworthiness standards.
Failure to adhere to the requirements of AD/DHC-8/65 could result in serious consequences, as the directive aims to rectify a safety issue that could potentially compromise flight safety. While specific penalties are not detailed within the text of the directive itself, non-compliance with airworthiness directives generally leads to regulatory enforcement actions, which can include fines, operational restrictions, or other civil or criminal penalties under relevant aviation legislation (5). The severity of these penalties can vary based on the nature and extent of the non-compliance, and the discretion of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority in enforcing the regulations.