Overview

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, enacted in 1998, establish the legal framework for civil aviation safety in Australia, with a focus on ensuring the safety of aircraft and aeronautical products. This legislation was introduced to address the need for comprehensive regulation to maintain high standards of safety within the aviation industry. Part 39, specifically, outlines the requirements for airworthiness directives, which are regulatory measures aimed at correcting unsafe conditions with aircraft or aeronautical products. These directives are issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), the delegate of which is responsible for ensuring that necessary actions are taken to address identified safety issues. The policy objective of these regulations is to safeguard public safety and to maintain the integrity of the national aviation system by enforcing strict airworthiness standards. One specific example of such regulation is the Airworthiness Directive AD/PC-12/30 issued under subregulation 39.1 (1) of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998. This directive mandates the inspection of certain Pilatus PC-12 Series aeroplanes due to potential failures in the hydraulic actuators' special bolts, which can lead to hydrogen embrittlement and subsequent failure. This directive applies to specific models and serial numbers of the PC-12 and PC-12/45 aircraft and requires compliance with the inspection guidelines outlined in Pilatus Aircraft Service Bulletin No. 30-012, dated 18 October 2001. The directive was issued to address the identified safety risk and ensures that corrective actions are implemented to prevent potential accidents.

Scope and Application

The Airworthiness Directive issued under the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 applies specifically to Pilatus PC-12 Series Aeroplanes with serial numbers listed in the applicability section. This directive is targeted at ensuring the safety of the aircraft by addressing a potential issue with the hydraulic actuators connecting to the main landing gear assemblies. The specified aircraft must undergo an inspection as outlined in the requirement section, in accordance with Pilatus Aircraft Service Bulletin No. 30-012, dated 18 October 2001. The directive mandates compliance within the stipulated timeframe, either at the next scheduled 100-hour inspection or within 30 days from 21 November 2001, whichever comes first. This Airworthiness Directive is applicable nationally within the jurisdiction of the Commonwealth of Australia and was issued by a delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. The directive does not specify exclusions or exemptions, but it is understood that the mandated actions apply to the specified aircraft models and serial numbers only.

Key Provisions

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically Part 39 - 105, mandates the creation and enforcement of Airworthiness Directives (ADs) to ensure the safety of aircraft. Under section 39.1(1), a delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) has issued an AD, identified as AD/PC-12/30, for Pilatus PC-12 Series Aeroplanes. This directive applies to specific serial numbers of PC-12 and PC-12/45 models and requires inspections of certain bolts in accordance with Pilatus Aircraft Service Bulletin No. 30-012, dated 18 October 2001. The AD imposes obligations on the owners and operators of the affected aircraft to conduct the specified inspections. These inspections must be performed at the next scheduled 100-hour inspection or within 30 days from 21 November 2001, whichever comes first. The directive is intended to address a safety concern where special bolts connecting the hydraulic actuators to the main landing gear assemblies may fail due to an improper cadmium plating process, leading to potential hydrogen embrittlement. Failure to comply with this AD may result in non-compliance with the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998. The potential consequences of non-compliance include regulatory action by CASA, which could lead to the grounding of the aircraft until the required inspections are completed. While the specific penalties for non-compliance are not detailed in the AD itself, regulatory breaches under the Civil Aviation Act 1988 could result in substantial fines and other enforcement actions as prescribed by the legislation.