AD/HS 125/146 - Instrument Panel Lighting

Overview

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, enacted by the Parliament of the Commonwealth of Australia, were designed to regulate the safety and efficiency of civil aviation within Australia. Among these regulations is Part 39 - 105, which pertains to Airworthiness Directives issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. One such directive, AD/HS 125/146, addresses a specific issue with instrument panel lighting in British Aerospace BAe 125 Series Aeroplanes, specifically the Series 1000A and 1000B aircraft. The directive was introduced in response to a reported incident where an instrument panel lighting balance unit overheated, leading to smoke emission within the flight deck area. The policy objective of this directive is to ensure the safety of aircraft operations by requiring compliance with a specified service bulletin from Raytheon Corporate Jets, mandating a revision to the lighting balance system to its pre-modification condition. Compliance with this directive was required prior to 12 January 1995, with an extension granted by the UK's Civil Aviation Authority by one calendar month.

Scope and Application

The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Schedule of Airworthiness Directives, as outlined in Part 39 of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically targets Raytheon Corporate Jets BAe 125 Series 1000A and 1000B aircraft identified in the Raytheon Corporate Jets Mandatory Service Bulletin SB.33-52-25A800A&B dated 16 November 1994. This directive applies to aircraft within the Commonwealth of Australia, where the safety of civil aviation is regulated by CASA. The directive mandates compliance with the specified action to address a reported issue of an instrument panel lighting balance unit overheating in flight, which led to smoke emission into the flight deck. Compliance with the directive must be achieved before 12 January 1995, with an extension of one calendar month for compliance with the UK Civil Aviation Authority's corresponding directive. The application of this directive is limited to the mentioned aircraft models and does not extend to other aircraft types or industries. CASA may further extend or restrict the application of this directive through subordinate instruments.

Key Provisions

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically Part 39 - 105, include a schedule of airworthiness directives that mandate certain safety measures for aircraft, including the British Aerospace BAe 125 Series Aeroplanes (Section 39-105). One such directive, AD/HS 125/146, addresses instrument panel lighting issues. This directive applies to Raytheon Corporate Jets BAe 125 Series 1000A and 1000B aircraft identified by Raytheon Corporate Jets Mandatory Service Bulletin SB.33-52-25A800A&B dated 16 November 1994 (Section 39-105(1)). The directive requires operators to take action in accordance with the specified service bulletin to address a potential overheating issue in the instrument panel lighting balance unit, which could result in smoke entering the flight deck (Section 39-105(2)). Operators must comply with this directive prior to 12 January 1995 (Section 39-105(3)). Operators of the affected BAe 125 Series aeroplanes must ensure that the instrument panel lighting balance system is revised to its pre-modification condition as outlined in the Raytheon Corporate Jets Mandatory Service Bulletin SB.33-52-25A800A&B. This involves conducting a detailed inspection and, if necessary, making modifications to the lighting system to prevent overheating and the emission of smoke into the flight deck. Operators must also ensure that all changes are documented and that the aircraft is returned to service only after all required actions have been completed and verified by an authorised person (Section 39-105(4)). Failure to comply with the provisions of AD/HS 125/146 may result in serious safety implications, including the risk of smoke entering the flight deck, which could impair the pilot's ability to safely operate the aircraft. Non-compliance with airworthiness directives is a breach of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 and can lead to significant penalties. Under Section 96 of the Civil Aviation Act 1988, any person who contravenes a direction issued under the Civil Aviation Regulations may be subject to a fine of up to $22,200 for individuals and $111,000 for bodies corporate, along with potential criminal charges that could result in imprisonment (Section 96(1)). Furthermore, non-compliance can also lead to the grounding of the affected aircraft until the required actions are completed, which can have substantial operational and financial repercussions for the operator (Section 39-105(5)).