COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 107 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY
SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
Lubrication Systems
AD/LUB/1 Facet Scavenge Oil Filter Placards 12/87 TX
Applicability: All Facet external oil filter systems installed on turbine powered engine installations which have Facet placard instructions adhered in a position adjacent to the engine air intake, such that, ingestion of the placard would be likely if the placard became loose. Applicable installations include, but are not necessary limited to the following helicopters:-
MBB BO-105 All Series with FAA STC SH 479GL installed. BELL 222 All Series with FAA STC SH 1879SO installed.
MBB BK-117 All Series with FAA STC SH 1853SO installed. AS 355 All Series with FAA STC SH 673GL installed.
Requirement: Remove Facet placards (labels) P/N 1741120 and 1741120-1.
Note 1: FAA AD 87-19-01 and Facet Enterprises Inc SB 081987 refer. Note 2: Placards are worded as follows:-
"A. Inspect red button on bottom of bowl for indication of filter bypass.
B. If red button is not showing, proceed with preflight.
C. Red button showing, reset button once and run engine.
D. If red button reappears, discontinue operations and investigate reason for filter bypass indication."
These instructions are for carrying out pre-flight inspections. These instructions are also contained in Australian Flight Manuals of those A/C types which have Australian approval of the relevant FAA STC. Operators of affected A/C, where placards have been removed, are to ensure that persons performing pre-flight inspections are advised of the placard removal and the continuing requirement for inspection of this filter.
Compliance: Unless already actioned prior to further flight after 9 October 1987.
Background: This Directive is issued to reflect Facet Enterprises Inc SB 081987 dated 19 August 1987 and FAA Priority Letter AD 87-19-01 issued 8 September 1987 which advise incidents of placard ingestion by the engine and the mandatory requirement to remove the placard hazard.
Overview
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, amended by the Civil Aviation (Airworthiness) Regulations 1998, were enacted to ensure the safety of aircraft operations in Australia. These regulations, administered by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), aim to maintain the highest safety standards in the aviation industry. One specific area of focus within these regulations is the management of airworthiness directives, such as AD/LUB/1 concerning Facet Scavenge Oil Filter Placards. This directive was introduced to address the risk of placard ingestion by turbine-powered engines, which could potentially lead to engine failure. The policy objective is to mitigate safety risks by removing potentially hazardous placards from the vicinity of engine air intakes, thus preventing any risk of ingestion and subsequent engine damage.
Scope and Application
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically Part 39 - 107, mandates the removal of certain placards from Facet external oil filter systems installed on turbine-powered engines to mitigate the risk of ingestion by the engine. This requirement applies to all installations where the placards are positioned adjacent to the engine air intake, such that ingestion would be likely if the placards became loose. This includes, but is not limited to, helicopters such as the MBB BO-105 All Series, BELL 222 All Series, MBB BK-117 All Series, and AS 355 All Series with specified FAA STCs installed. Operators of affected aircraft must ensure that all relevant personnel are informed about the removal of these placards and the ongoing necessity to inspect the filters as detailed in Australian Flight Manuals, which incorporate the instructions from the removed placards. Compliance with this directive is required unless the action was already completed before further flight on 9 October 1987, as a response to incidents reported by Facet Enterprises Inc and the FAA.
Key Provisions
The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically Part 39, Section 107, mandates the removal of certain placards on turbine-powered engines installed in specific helicopters (s.107). The regulation applies to all Facet external oil filter systems that have placards positioned near the engine air intake in such a way that the ingestion of the placard is likely if it becomes loose (s.107). The helicopters mentioned include MBB BO-105 All Series with FAA STC SH 479GL, BELL 222 All Series with FAA STC SH 1879SO, MBB BK-117 All Series with FAA STC SH 1853SO, and AS 355 All Series with FAA STC SH 673GL (s.107). Operators must remove the Facet placards P/N 1741120 and 1741120-1 to comply with this directive (s.107). These placards contain pre-flight inspection instructions which are also included in the Australian Flight Manuals of approved aircraft (s.107). Operators must ensure that anyone performing pre-flight inspections is informed of the placard removal and the continued necessity for inspecting the filter (s.107).
The obligations imposed by this regulation require operators of the specified helicopters to remove the indicated placards (s.107). These operators must also ensure that their personnel conducting pre-flight inspections are made aware of the placard removal and the ongoing requirement to inspect the filter as per the instructions found in the Australian Flight Manuals (s.107). Failure to comply with this directive may result in non-compliance with safety standards, which could potentially lead to significant safety risks, including engine failure or damage due to the ingestion of the placard (s.107).
Failure to comply with the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, Part 39, Section 107, particularly in relation to the removal of the specified placards, could result in serious safety consequences (s.107). Although specific penalties are not outlined in this legislative instrument, non-compliance with civil aviation regulations generally can lead to enforcement actions by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). These actions may include fines, administrative penalties, or other sanctions imposed by CASA (s.107). Continued non-compliance could result in more severe consequences such as the grounding of the aircraft until compliance is achieved, which could disrupt operations and potentially lead to further financial and operational repercussions for the operator (s.107).