{"id":"F2005L00234","name":"AD/A320/112 Amdt 1 - MLG Door Actuator Fitting","slug":"ad-a320-112-amdt-1-mlg-door-actuator-fitting","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":33795,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2005L00234-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Airbus Industrie A319, A320 and A321 Ser","sectionType":"division","heading":"Airbus Industrie A319, A320 and A321 Series Aeroplanes","content":"### Airbus Industrie A319, A320 and A321 Series Aeroplanes\n\n| AD/A320/112 Amdt 1 | MLG Door Actuator Fitting | 3/2005 |\n| ------------------ | ------------------------- | ------ |\n\n| Applicability: | All Model A319, A320, and A321 aircraft, without Airbus modification 30355 or 31362 incorporated in production or Service Bulletin A320-53-1158 incorporated in service.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |\n| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Requirement:   | Action in accordance with the requirements of DGAC AD F-2004-189 R1.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                           |\n| Compliance:    | As specified in the Requirement document, with a revised effective date of 17 March 2005.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |\n|                | This Amendment becomes effective on 17 March 2005.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             |\n| Background:    | The DGAC received a report of a main landing gear (MLG) door failing to close during flight on an A320 aircraft. Investigation revealed the MLG door actuator fittings installed on the keel beam, and the related strap, were cracked.Amendment 1 is issued in response to a new DGAC AD, which introduces new requirements for the MLG door actuator fittings inspection, and mandates inspection of the keel beam uppermost fastener holes. |\n\n![](image.001.png)  \nDavid Punshon  \nDelegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority\n\n4 February 2005","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"AD/A320/112 Amdt 1","sectionType":"part","heading":"AD/A320/112 Amdt 1","content":"## AD/A320/112 Amdt 1","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"MLG Door Actuator Fitting","sectionType":"part","heading":"MLG Door Actuator Fitting","content":"## MLG Door Actuator Fitting","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"3/2005","sectionType":"part","heading":"3/2005","content":"## 3/2005","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This Amendment 1 expanded the original AD’s inspection requirements. The original action addressed cracking in the MLG door actuator fittings; Amendment 1 introduces additional inspection requirements (including mandatory inspection of the keel-beam uppermost fastener holes) and adopts the revised DGAC AD text. It therefore broadens the technical scope of required inspections and cross-references additional specific fastening locations that operators must inspect, while keeping applicability limited by reference to two Airbus modifications and one Service Bulletin that, if embodied, exempt an aircraft from the AD."},"complexity_factors":["Short document with focused purpose (single-component inspection requirement).","Relies on an external document (DGAC AD F-2004-189 R1) for detailed tasks — requires cross-referencing.","Conditional applicability tied to incorporation status of two Airbus modifications (30355, 31362) and one Service Bulletin (A320-53-1158).","Amendment adds a new inspection item (keel beam uppermost fastener holes) — a single-level change rather than nested exceptions.","Limited number of defined terms and few procedural layers (inspection → corrective action)."],"plain_english_summary":"**What this instrument requires (mechanics)\n\n- Affected aircraft: all Airbus A319, A320 and A321 aeroplanes that do NOT already have Airbus modification 30355 or 31362 fitted in production, and that have not had Service Bulletin A320-53-1158 incorporated in service.  \n\n- Action required: operators must carry out the inspections and any follow-up actions set out in the referenced French DGAC airworthiness directive (DGAC AD F-2004-189 R1). The Australian amendment adopts that DGAC requirement and sets the effective date for compliance as 17 March 2005.  \n\n- Effect of the amendment: this Amendment 1 adds or clarifies inspection tasks for the main landing gear (MLG) door actuator fittings and specifically requires inspection of the keel-beam uppermost fastener holes, as described in the DGAC document.\n\n**Why it was issued (official reason)\n\n- The DGAC investigated a report that an A320 main landing gear door failed to close in flight. The investigation found cracked MLG door actuator fittings installed on the keel beam and a cracked strap. The AD (and this Australian amendment adopting it) is presented as a safety action in response to that finding.\n\n**Who it affects and who decides\n\n- Who must act: aircraft operators and maintenance organisations responsible for A319/A320/A321 aeroplanes meeting the applicability description. Operators must schedule and perform the required inspections and any corrective work.  \n- Who enforces/issued it: the Australian Civil Aviation Safety Authority has issued this amendment adopting the DGAC AD; compliance is mandatory for affected aircraft registered/operated under Australian jurisdiction.\n\n**Practical consequences, costs and trade-offs (implementation lens)\n\n- Direct costs to operators: time for inspections, possible non‑destructive testing, parts and labour to repair or replace cracked fittings or straps, and aircraft downtime while work is done.  \n- Options to avoid recurring inspections: aircraft that already have Airbus modification 30355 or 31362 incorporated, or have had Service Bulletin A320-53-1158 embodied in service, are excluded from the applicability — so incorporating those modifications/SB removes the inspection requirement going forward (but itself has a cost and requires shop time).  \n- Incentives and behaviour change: operators must either perform periodic inspections/repairs or invest in the structural modification/SB to remove the recurring inspection obligation. That creates a trade-off between recurring maintenance expense and a one‑off modification cost and downtime.  \n- Implementation risks: quality and thoroughness of inspections, availability of qualified maintenance personnel and replacement parts, correct record-keeping, and timing coordination so aircraft downtime is minimised. If inspections find damage, repair lead times could cause schedule disruption.  \n- Allocation of benefits and costs: the safety benefit (reduced risk of door failure) accrues to operators, passengers and the airworthiness regulator; the costs fall directly on aircraft operators and maintenance providers. The requirement does not alter ownership rights or market entry — it is a compliance cost applied uniformly to affected models unless the optional modifications/SB are incorporated.  \n\n**How this measure interacts with other measures\n\n- The AD cross-references and incorporates by reference the DGAC AD F-2004-189 R1 — the actionable scope and tasks are found in that external document.  \n- The applicability is explicitly tied to whether certain Airbus modifications or a specific service bulletin have been embodied; incorporation of those technical changes removes aircraft from this AD’s scope.\n\n(References: AD/A320/112 Amdt 1 adopting DGAC AD F-2004-189 R1; applicability and effective date language)"},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This amendment remains tightly focused on its original purpose — addressing cracking in MLG door actuator fittings. The amendment expands the inspection requirements slightly (adding keel beam fastener hole inspection) but this is a natural evolution of the same safety issue rather than scope creep. The document maintains its narrow, technical focus on this specific airworthiness concern."},"complexity_factors":["Short, single-purpose document (1 page)","Only 2 defined technical terms (MLG, keel beam) explained in context","Single cross-reference to external French aviation authority document (DGAC AD F-2004-189 R1)","Simple conditional applicability (aircraft without specific modifications)","No nested exceptions or complex conditional logic","Clear compliance date (17 March 2005)"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** — essentially a mandatory safety order for aircraft. It requires owners and operators of specific Airbus planes (A319, A320, and A321 models) to inspect and potentially fix a problem with the main landing gear door.\n\n**What the problem is:**\nThe French aviation authority (DGAC) discovered that the fittings holding the main landing gear door actuator (the mechanism that opens and closes the landing gear door) were cracking. In one case, this caused a landing gear door to fail to close during flight. The cracks were found in the fittings attached to the \"keel beam\" (a structural spine running along the bottom of the aircraft fuselage) and in a related strap component.\n\n**What must be done:**\nAircraft operators must follow the inspection and repair instructions set out in a French safety document (DGAC AD F-2004-189 R1). This includes:\n- Inspecting the MLG door actuator fittings and straps for cracks\n- Inspecting the uppermost fastener holes in the keel beam (new requirement in this amendment)\n\n**Who it affects:**\nAll operators of A319, A320, and A321 aircraft that haven't had specific factory modifications (30355 or 31362) or a particular service bulletin (A320-53-1158) applied.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nA landing gear door that won't close properly creates drag, increases fuel consumption, and could potentially lead to more serious structural or control issues. The directive prevents accidents by catching cracks before they cause in-flight failures."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-a320-112-amdt-1-mlg-door-actuator-fitting","history":"/api/acts/ad-a320-112-amdt-1-mlg-door-actuator-fitting/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-a320-112-amdt-1-mlg-door-actuator-fitting/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-a320-112-amdt-1-mlg-door-actuator-fitting/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-a320-112-amdt-1-mlg-door-actuator-fitting/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-a320-112-amdt-1-mlg-door-actuator-fitting/documents"}}