Overview

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, under Part 39, specifically addressing airworthiness directives, were enacted to ensure that aircraft and aeronautical products meet safety standards. One such airworthiness directive, AD/MAKILA/4, was introduced in response to a safety concern identified by the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile of France, which found that the existing failure detection mechanisms in the Makila 1A and 1A1 engines might not prevent overspeeding of the power turbine. This directive mandates modifications to the engines' Electronic Control Units (ECUs) to rectify this issue, ensuring that the affected helicopters meet the necessary safety standards. The directive was issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) delegate, Eugene Paul Holzapfel, on 14 January 2002, and became effective on 21 February 2002, with compliance required before 30 June 2002. The primary policy objective is to enhance the safety of aviation operations by addressing specific technical deficiencies in the identified aircraft engines.

Scope and Application

This Airworthiness Directive applies specifically to Makila 1A and 1A1 engines with an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) modification TU 203, installed on AS 332 ‘Super Puma’ C, C1, L and L1 helicopters. This legislative instrument targets a specific subset of aeronautical products and requires modifications to these engines to address safety concerns identified by the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile of France. The requirement is to modify the ECUs by incorporating Turbomeca Modification TU 215 in accordance with Turbomeca Service Bulletin 298 73 0166 dated 5 October 2001, and this directive must be complied with before 30 June 2002. The AD becomes effective from 21 February 2002, indicating the urgency and scope of the safety measures being implemented. This directive is issued under the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 and is applicable within the jurisdictional reach of the Commonwealth of Australia, ensuring that safety standards are uniformly enforced across the nation.

Key Provisions

This Airworthiness Directive (AD) issued under subregulation 39.1 (1) of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 (CAR 1998) pertains to the Makila 1A and 1A1 engines with an Electronic Control Unit (ECU) modification TU 203, installed on AS 332 ‘Super Puma’ C, C1, L, and L1 helicopters. The AD, numbered AD/MAKILA/4, was issued on 14 January 2002 and became effective on 21 February 2002, as notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 30 January 2002. The requirement for this directive is that the ECUs of the specified engines must be modified to incorporate Turbomeca Modification TU 215, in accordance with Turbomeca Service Bulletin (SB) 298 73 0166 dated 5 October 2001. This modification aims to address the identified safety issue where the existing failure detection laws may not prevent the power turbine from overspeeding, as revealed by an accident analysis by the Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile of France. The AD imposes specific obligations on the entities it governs, primarily those responsible for the maintenance and operation of AS 332 ‘Super Puma’ C, C1, L, and L1 helicopters equipped with the specified Makila engines. These entities must ensure that the required modifications to the ECU are carried out in accordance with the instructions provided in the AD, specifically by implementing Turbomeca Modification TU 215 as detailed in SB 298 73 0166. Failure to comply with these requirements could result in the aircraft not meeting the necessary airworthiness standards, potentially leading to operational restrictions or grounding of the affected helicopters until the modifications are performed. The AD outlines a compliance deadline, which is before 30 June 2002. Non-compliance with the AD and the specified modification requirements could lead to serious safety implications, potentially resulting in regulatory actions against the operators or maintainers of the affected aircraft. While the AD itself does not explicitly state penalties, non-compliance with airworthiness directives can lead to enforcement actions by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), including fines, suspension or revocation of airworthiness certificates, and other regulatory sanctions. The precise penalties for non-compliance are determined under the broader legislative framework of the CAR 1998 and related regulations.