AD/SWSA226/83 - Wing Trailing Edge Ribs

Overview

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, enacted by the Australian Parliament, serve to regulate civil aviation within the country, ensuring safety and efficiency in air travel. This legislative instrument, F2006B07226, specifically addresses airworthiness directives for aircraft, including the Fairchild (Swearingen) SA226 and SA227 series aeroplanes. The directive aims to mitigate the risk of fatigue cracking in the wing trailing edge ribs, which, if left unaddressed, could lead to asymmetrical flap deflection and potentially catastrophic loss of control. The policy objective is to enhance the safety of aviation by mandating specific inspections and repairs on these aircraft models, thereby maintaining their airworthiness and protecting passengers and crew. Compliance with these directives is mandatory and must be achieved within 500 hours of the directive's effective date, 21 May 1998.

Scope and Application

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically PART 39 - 105 issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, applies to the Fairchild (Swearingen) SA226 and SA227 series aeroplanes. These regulations mandate inspections and potentially corrective actions for specific models and serial numbers of these aircraft to ensure airworthiness. The directive applies to SA226-TC models with serial numbers TC201 through TC379, SA226-T models with serial numbers T201 through T275, T277 through T291, SA226-T(B) models with serial numbers T(B)276 and T(B)292 through T(B)378, and SA226-AT models with serial numbers AT001 through AT069. The requirement is to inspect the wing trailing edge ribs at specific locations for any cracks and to follow detailed instructions provided in the Fairchild Aircraft Service Bulletin (SB) 57-016, which includes installation of reinforcement doublers or replacement of cracked ribs as necessary. Compliance with these directives must be achieved within 500 hours of time in service after the directive became effective on 21 May 1998. This legislation is part of the broader Commonwealth of Australia's regulatory framework for civil aviation and applies nationally, overseen by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority.

Key Provisions

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically Part 39 - 105, includes an Airworthiness Directive (AD) concerning the Fairchild (Swearingen) SA226 and SA227 series aeroplanes, focusing on the wing trailing edge ribs. This directive, AD/SWSA226/83, requires inspection and possible reinforcement or replacement of the wing trailing edge ribs at specific locations to address reported fatigue cracking (section 1). The directive applies to specific models and serial numbers of the SA226 and SA227 series aeroplanes, as outlined in the applicability section (section 2). Under the requirements of this AD, operators must inspect the trailing edge ribs at wing stations 98.385 and 100.635 for any cracks (section 3). If no cracks are detected, operators must install a reinforcement doubler as per the instructions in Part B of Fairchild Aircraft Service Bulletin (SB) 57-016 (section 4). Should cracks be found, the affected ribs must be replaced with new rib assemblies, and the reinforcement doubler must be installed following the instructions in Part C of the same bulletin (section 5). The directive mandates that these actions be completed within 500 hours of time in service following 21 May 1998, the date the directive became effective (section 6). Failure to comply with the requirements of this AD could have serious safety implications, as fatigue cracking in the wing trailing edge ribs could lead to asymmetrical flap deflection and potential loss of control of the aircraft (section 7). The directive references FAA AD 98-04-05 Amdt 39-10318 for additional context (section 8). Although the AD does not explicitly outline penalties for non-compliance, failure to adhere to airworthiness directives can result in serious civil and criminal consequences under the Civil Aviation Act 1988, potentially including fines and imprisonment (section 9).