Overview

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, particularly Part 39 - 105, encompasses a schedule of airworthiness directives aimed at ensuring the safety and airworthiness of aircraft operating in Australia. This legislative instrument, enacted by the Commonwealth of Australia, specifically addresses safety concerns associated with certain aircraft models, such as the British Aerospace (Hawker Siddeley) HS 748 Series Aeroplanes. The primary objective of this regulation is to mandate corrective actions to mitigate identified safety risks, thereby enhancing the overall safety standards of civil aviation within the country. The enactment and enforcement of these directives are overseen by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), which has the authority to issue Airworthiness Directives to address specific safety issues as they arise. The directive in question, AD/HS 748/28, was introduced to rectify issues related to accessory gearbox drive shaft failures, which had previously resulted in combustion chamber damage and potential flame outbreaks due to inadequate lubrication.

Scope and Application

This legislative instrument, the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically within Part 39, applies to all British Aerospace (Hawker Siddeley) HS 748 series aeroplanes. It sets forth an Airworthiness Directive issued under the authority of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) to address safety concerns related to the accessory gearbox drive shaft. The directive mandates grease and inspection of these components in accordance with specified guidelines to prevent failures that could lead to significant damage and safety hazards. The directive applies nationally across Australia, governed by the Commonwealth. Compliance with this Airworthiness Directive is required within 50 hours of time in service from the effective date of the directive and must be repeated at intervals of 50 hours thereafter. This directive became effective on 10 August 2000 and was published in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 12 July 2000.

Key Provisions

The main sections of the Airworthiness Directive (AD) HS 748/28 pertain to the applicability, requirement, and compliance of the directive. According to section 8/2000, the directive applies to all HS 748 series aircraft (Section 1). The requirement outlined in section 2 is that the accessory gearbox drive shafts must be greased and inspected in accordance with the Dowty Aerospace Wolverhampton Service Bulletin 83-518 dated 6 October 1999. This action is considered necessary to address the unsafe condition identified in the background, which is inadequate lubrication leading to drive shaft failures (Section 2). The compliance section stipulates that this action must be taken within 50 hours of time in service (TIS) from the effective date of the directive, which is 10 August 2000, and subsequently, at intervals of 50 hours TIS (Section 3). The AD imposes obligations on the operators of HS 748 series aircraft to ensure that the accessory gearbox drive shafts are properly greased and inspected as per the specified instructions. This is to maintain the airworthiness of the aircraft and prevent the recurrence of failures that could result in combustion chamber damage and flame outbreaks. The directive references CAA (UK) AD 002-09-99, indicating alignment with UK aviation safety standards (Section 2). Operators must adhere to the detailed procedures outlined in the Dowty Aerospace Wolverhampton Service Bulletin 83-518 and ensure that these are performed at the prescribed intervals (Section 3). Failure to comply with the AD could result in significant safety risks, as the directive is designed to address a known unsafe condition. The AD does not explicitly state any penalties, but non-compliance could lead to severe consequences such as grounding of the aircraft until the required actions are taken, or other enforcement actions by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Given the safety-critical nature of the directive, any non-compliance could potentially result in substantial fines, legal action, or other regulatory penalties imposed by CASA (Section 4).