AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1 - Primary Flight Control Cable Terminals - Detailed Visual Inspections

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Legislation au F2017L01322 In force Legislative Instrument

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Explanatory Statement

Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998

AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1 — Primary Flight Control Cable Terminals - Detailed Visual Inspections

Legislation

Under section 98 of the Civil Aviation Act 1988 (the Act), the Governor-General may make regulations. 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. Therefore, this AD is a legislative instrument.

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.

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/GENERAL/87 to correct an unsafe situation on various aircraft fitted with primary flight control cable assemblies using swaged terminal fittings made from SAE-AISI 303 Se or SAE-AISI 304 stainless steel in 2015.

Following input from industry as a result of the release of AD/GENERAL/87, as well as additional investigation and risk analysis, CASA has issued AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1. This AD repeals the previous AD on this subject in accordance with subsection 33 (3) of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901 and imposes new requirements.

The new AD removes the requirement for mandatory replacement of applicable primary flight control cables upon reaching 15 years total time in service and instead introduces a requirement for detailed repetitive inspections of cable terminal fittings the specifications of which state that the fittings were manufactured from SAE-AISI 303Se or SAE-AISI 304 stainless steel.

Note 3 of AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1 refers to documents that contain further information relevant to the AD but do not impose obligations.  The documents are freely available as follows:

  • CASA Airworthiness Bulletin 27-001 - Control Cable Terminal - Retirement, is viewable at:
    https://www.casa.gov.au/files/awb-27-001-issue-7-control-cable-terminal-retirement
  • ATSB report AE-2012-028 - Aircraft Control Cable Terminal Fittings – ATSB Technical Examination, is viewable at https://www.atsb.gov.au/publications/investigation_reports/2012/aair/ae-2012-028/
     
  • FAA SAIB CE-02-05R1 - Cracking and corrosion problems currently being experienced with terminals made from SAE AISI 303 Se Stainless Steel, is viewable at:
    http://rgl.faa.gov/Regulatory_and_Guidance_Library/rgSAIB.nsf/0/3D2203F4E96914518625721F0052EB4D?OpenDocument&Highlight=ce-02-05.

Consultation

CASA has consulted with the Australian aviation industry and the general public via CASA Proposed Airworthiness Directive PAD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1 which closed for comment on 28 June 2017.

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.

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 1 November 2017.

[Instrument number AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1]


Attachment 1

Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights

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

AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1 – Primary Flight Control Cable Terminals - Detailed Visual Inspections

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/GENERAL/87 to correct an unsafe situation on various aircraft fitted with primary flight control cable assemblies using swaged terminal fittings made from SAE-AISI 303 Se or SAE-AISI 304 stainless steel in 2015. Following input from industry as a result of the release of AD/GENERAL/87, as well as additional investigation and risk analysis, CASA has issued AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1 to remove the requirement for mandatory replacement of applicable primary flight control cables upon reaching 15 years total time in service and instead introduces a requirement for detailed repetitive inspections of these cable terminals.

The primary purpose of this legislative instrument is to reduce burden on industry by replacing the requirement for mandatory replacement of primary flight control cables with a requirement for repetitive inspections of these cable terminals.

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 amended in 2017 to address an unsafe condition related to the primary flight control cables of certain aircraft. This was achieved through Airworthiness Directive AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1, issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) under its authority granted by section 98 of the Civil Aviation Act 1988. The previous directive, AD/GENERAL/87, mandated the replacement of primary flight control cables after 15 years of service, but this was replaced by a requirement for detailed repetitive inspections of cable terminals made from specific stainless steel grades. This change aimed to reduce industry burden while maintaining safety standards. The amendment was subject to consultation with the aviation industry and the public, and a Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights was provided, confirming that the directive does not engage any human rights issues.

Scope and Application

The Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 Amendment (AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1) pertains to the ongoing airworthiness of aircraft equipped with primary flight control cables that use specific swaged terminal fittings made from SAE-AISI 303Se or SAE-AISI 304 stainless steel. This amendment applies to all aircraft registered in Australia and operated by Australian operators, irrespective of the aircraft's nationality or registration. It imposes new requirements for detailed visual inspections of the specified cable terminals instead of mandating their replacement after 15 years of service. The amendment is a legislative instrument issued under the Civil Aviation Act 1988, which allows the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to issue airworthiness directives to address unsafe situations. This directive repeals the previous airworthiness directive AD/GENERAL/87 and is effective from 1 November 2017. No Regulation Impact Statement or Statement of Compatibility with Human Rights was required as per CASA’s standing agreement and the nature of the directive respectively.

Key Provisions

The Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR) under section 39.001 allows the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to issue an airworthiness directive (AD) for a type of aircraft or aeronautical product. The AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1, issued by CASA, amends the previous AD/GENERAL/87 from 2015 to change the requirements for aircraft fitted with primary flight control cable assemblies using swaged terminal fittings made from SAE-AISI 303 Se or SAE-AISI 304 stainless steel. This amendment removes the requirement for mandatory replacement of primary flight control cables upon reaching 15 years in total time in service and instead introduces a requirement for detailed repetitive inspections of these cable terminals (CASR 39.001). Under the AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1, aircraft owners or operators must ensure that primary flight control cable terminals are inspected at specific intervals to detect any signs of corrosion, cracking, or other defects. These inspections must be conducted by a licensed aircraft maintenance engineer or a person approved by CASA (CASR 39.001). Additionally, any discovered defects must be reported to CASA, and appropriate corrective actions must be taken to ensure the continued airworthiness of the aircraft (CASR 39.001). Failure to comply with the requirements of AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1 may result in enforcement actions by CASA, including fines, suspension, or revocation of the aircraft’s certificate of airworthiness (CASR 39.195). The maximum penalty for non-compliance is a fine of up to 500 penalty units, which is equivalent to AUD 50,000 as of January 2023. Furthermore, any failure to address identified defects may lead to more severe consequences, such as grounding of the aircraft until the defects are rectified (CASR 39.195). AD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1, being a legislative instrument under the Civil Aviation Act 1988, is subject to the provisions of the Acts Interpretation Act 1901, which allows for the repeal, rescind, revoke, amend, or vary of such instruments (Acts Interpretation Act 1901, s. 33(3)). This AD specifically repeals the previous AD/GENERAL/87, ensuring that only the current requirements are in effect. The AD is also covered by a standing agreement between CASA and the Office of Best Practice Regulation, which exempts it from the requirement of a Regulation Impact Statement (CASA Proposed Airworthiness Directive PAD/GENERAL/87 Amdt 1).

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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.