Overview

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 (CAR 1998) were enacted in 1998 and serve to regulate the safety and airworthiness of civil aircraft in Australia. They were introduced to ensure that all civil aviation activities in Australia meet internationally accepted safety standards. The CAR 1998 is administered by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), an agency of the Australian Government responsible for regulating civil aviation safety. The overarching policy objective of the CAR 1998 is to ensure the safety of the public and to maintain a consistent and high standard of safety in civil aviation across Australia. In the context of the AD/SKY ARROW/2 issued under Part 39 of the CAR 1998, the specific aim is to address the identified unsafe condition of crack initiation on the engine mounts of certain Sky Arrow 650 series aeroplanes, ensuring that these aircraft remain airworthy and safe for operation.

Scope and Application

The Airworthiness Directive issued under the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 pertains to all Model 650TC, 650TCN, 650TCS, and 650TCNS aircraft manufactured by Iniziative Industriali Italiane. The directive mandates specific actions to address an identified safety concern, specifically crack initiation on the engine mount of the aforementioned aircraft models, which have been reported in scenarios involving high operating time on grass airfields and hard landings at training schools. This regulation applies to all relevant aircraft within the Australian jurisdiction, enforcing compliance with the specified requirements to ensure continued airworthiness. The directive outlines the necessity for inspections and modifications as per the Iniziative Industriali Italiane Service Bulletin No. SB-C 01/02 and references ENAC AD 2002-590. It mandates inspections within 10 hours of service post the directive's effective date, unless already performed, and further requires inspections at each scheduled 100-hour maintenance interval until modifications are completed. Any detected cracks necessitate immediate modification before further flight and all modifications must be completed by 31 December 2003.

Key Provisions

The Airworthiness Directive (AD) issued under the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 (CAR 1998) applies specifically to the Iniziative Industriali Italiane Sky Arrow 650 Series Aeroplanes, namely models 650TC, 650TCN, 650TCS, and 650TCNS. This AD mandates specific actions to address an identified unsafe condition, namely the potential for crack initiation on the engine mount (Section 39.1). According to the AD/SKY ARROW/2 Engine Mount 2/2003 directive, the primary requirement is for an inspection and subsequent modification of the engine mount in line with the instructions provided in Iniziative Industriali Italiane Service Bulletin No. SB-C 01/02, dated 15 October 2002. This AD is referenced by ENAC AD 2002-590. The obligations imposed by this AD include conducting an inspection within 10 hours of time in service after 18 December 2002, unless it has already been performed. This inspection must be repeated at each scheduled 100-hour maintenance inspection until the necessary modification is completed. If any cracks are detected during these inspections, the modification must be accomplished before further flight. The directive mandates that the modification must be completed by 31 December 2003. Compliance with these requirements is essential to ensure the continued airworthiness of the affected aircraft. Failure to comply with the AD's requirements may result in serious consequences. The AD becomes effective on 18 December 2002, and non-compliance could potentially lead to the grounding of the affected aircraft until the specified actions are taken. There are no explicit penalties mentioned in the AD itself, but non-compliance with ADs generally can lead to enforcement actions by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), which may include fines, orders to correct the non-compliance, or other regulatory actions to ensure safety is maintained in accordance with the regulations.