COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 107 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY
SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES
Radio Communication and Navigation Equipment
AD/RAD/39
Amdt 1
Lithium-Sulphur Dioxide Batteries 8/93
Applicability: All equipment fitted with Lithium-Sulphur Dioxide batteries which do not have United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) Technical Standard Order (TSO) TSO-C97 authorisation.
Requirement: Remove from service all Lithium-Sulphur Dioxide batteries which do not have FAA TSO-C97 authorisation.
Note 1. Lithium-Sulphur Dioxide batteries have been used extensively in Emergency Locator Beacons (ELB). They have also been used in some other aircraft equipment including Bendix RNAV Computer Model RNS 3500 Control Display Unit CD-3501A, emergency lighting, sliderafts and flashlights.
Note 2. FAA TSO-C97 (effective from September 26, 1979) sets forth standards for Lithium-Sulphur Dioxide batteries used in aircraft. These standards have been established to reduce or eliminate failures of equipment incorporating the batteries due to corrosion, venting violently, explosion of the batteries and the leakage of harmful gases into occupied areas of aircraft.
Compliance: The Compliance of the previous issue of this Directive was before 1 August 1980.
This issue becomes effective on 22 July 1993.
Background: Regular inspections of all ELBs fitted with lithium batteries have been required by AD/RAD/35 since 1978. This has not completely eliminated problems of corrosion due to leakage of sulphur dioxide from the batteries.
Manufacturers of approved types of ELB have indicated that they can supply alternative batteries using alkaline cells.
Old types of lithium batteries can thus be withdrawn from service without any necessity for aircraft to be without serviceable ELBs.
This amendment is issued to correct an error in the background and clarify the Requirement.