AD/TPE 331/18 - Fuel Control Bracket - Replacement

Overview

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, enacted by the Parliament of Australia, are designed to regulate civil aviation safety across the nation. Specifically, Part 39 of these regulations addresses airworthiness directives, ensuring that aircraft and their components meet safety standards. One such directive, AD/TPE 331/18, pertains to the replacement of the fuel control bracket for AlliedSignal (Garrett/AiResearch) Turbine Engines of the TPE 331 Series. This directive aims to rectify specific safety issues identified with certain models of these engines, thereby enhancing overall aviation safety. The objective, as stated within the directive, is to ensure compliance with referenced service bulletins and amendments, thus maintaining the integrity and safety of the aircraft in service.

Scope and Application

The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, specifically Part 39 - 106, addresses the airworthiness directives concerning the AlliedSignal (Garrett/AiResearch) Turbine Engines of the TPE 331 Series, particularly focusing on the replacement of the fuel control bracket. This directive applies to certain models of the TPE 331 series, including TPE-331-1-151B, TPE-331-2-201C, TPE-331-5-251C, TPE-331-5-251K, TPE-331-6-251M, and TPE-331-3U-307G, as identified by their respective series numbers. The regulations mandate compliance with specified service bulletins or airworthiness directives to ensure the safe operation of these turbine engines. The geographic reach of these regulations extends across the Commonwealth of Australia, applying uniformly to all entities operating within the Australian civil aviation sector that use the specified turbine engines. There are no exclusions or exemptions outlined in the specific directive, and compliance is mandatory for all affected aircraft. The application of these regulations can be further detailed through subordinate instruments, which may provide additional clarifications or procedural guidelines for compliance.

Key Provisions

The main operative sections of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, Part 39 - 106, pertaining to AlliedSignal (Garrett/AiResearch) Turbine Engines - TPE 331 Series, specifically address the replacement of the fuel control bracket (Sections 3/86). This directive applies to certain models of the TPE 331 series, namely the TPE-331-1-151B, TPE-331-2-201C, TPE-331-5-251C, TPE-331-5-251K, TPE-331-6-251M, and TPE-331-3U-307G, which are specified by their series numbers in the reference documents. Compliance with this directive involves following the detailed instructions provided in AiResearch Service Bulletin (SB) TPE-331-73-0028 Rev. 2, SB TPE-331-73-0029, or the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) AD 74-10-10 as amended by amendment No. 2253, or AD/AIR-T/23A. The regulations impose specific obligations on the entities governed by this directive. Operators and maintainers of the affected turbine engines must ensure that the fuel control bracket replacement is performed within 100 hours of time in service after 30 September 1975. Following this initial replacement, the procedure must be repeated at intervals not exceeding 100 hours of time in service until the subsequent Service Bulletin TPE-331-0029 is incorporated. Additionally, the replacement must be carried out before the engine is reinstalled in an aircraft following any reconditioning that occurs after 31 July 1974. Failure to comply with these provisions can result in significant legal and operational consequences. The Civil Aviation Regulations 1998 outline various offences and penalties for non-compliance with Airworthiness Directives. While the specific maximum penalties are not detailed in this excerpt, they generally include substantial fines and potential grounding of the aircraft until the required maintenance is completed. These measures are enforced to ensure the highest standards of safety in civil aviation operations.