{"id":"F2005L00571","name":"AD/A320/170 - Fire Protection - Cargo Compartment Water Drain Valves","slug":"ad-a320-170-fire-protection-cargo-compartment-water-drain-valves","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":112793,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2005L00571-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","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/A320/170 | Fire Protection - Cargo CompartmentWater Drain Valves | 4/2005 |\n| ----------- | ----------------------------------------------------- | ------ |\n\n| Applicability: | AIRBUS:- A318 aircraft all certified models and all serial numbers; and- A319 aircraft, all certified models and all serial numbers that have incorporated AIRBUS modification 25642 or 26213 in production or AIRBUS Service Bulletin (SB) A320-52-1088 in service; and- A320 and A321 aircraft, all certified models and all serial numbers that have incorporated AIRBUS modification 26213 or 26603 in production or SB A320-52-1088 in service.Except any aircraft that have incorporated AIRBUS modification 33232 in production or SB A320-52-1124 in service. |\n| -------------- | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Requirement:   | Modify the forward and aft cargo water drain valves in accordance with AIRBUS Service Bulletin A320-52-1124.Note: DGAC AD F-2004-172 EASA Approval No. 2004-10569 dated 20 October 2004 refers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                       |\n| Compliance:    | Unless previously completed within 4 months from the effective date of this Directive.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |\n|                | This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 14 April 2005.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |\n| Background:    | A fire containment capability evaluation of the cargo compartment has been performed during a flight test on an A319. The level of the halon extinguishant decreased below the required concentration. This was due to a too high rate of air renewal in the compartment.After investigation two leak sources were identified:- the first leak is generated by the forward and aft cargo door water drain valves,- the second leak is generated by the aft cargo compartment temperature sensor installation; which is covered by another Airworthiness Directive.    |\n\n|     | This Directive renders mandatory the modification of the forward and aft cargo door water drain valves. |\n| --- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n\n![](image.001.png)  \nJames Coyne  \nDelegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority\n\n3 March 2005","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"AD/A320/170","sectionType":"part","heading":"AD/A320/170","content":"## AD/A320/170","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"Fire Protection - Cargo CompartmentWater","sectionType":"part","heading":"Fire Protection - Cargo CompartmentWater Drain Valves","content":"## Fire Protection - Cargo Compartment  \nWater Drain Valves","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"4/2005","sectionType":"part","heading":"4/2005","content":"## 4/2005","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a standard, targeted Airworthiness Directive addressing a specific safety defect identified during flight testing. The scope remains tightly focused on the identified fire containment issue in cargo compartments."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple applicability conditions with nested exceptions (applies to aircraft with modifications X or Y, except those with modification Z)","Cross-reference to external technical documents (Airbus Service Bulletin A320-52-1124 and French DGAC AD F-2004-172)","Specific aircraft model variants and serial number tracking required","Time-bound compliance deadline tied to effective date"],"plain_english_summary":"This CASA Airworthiness Directive mandates modification of the forward and aft cargo-compartment water drain valves on certain Airbus A318/A319/A320/A321 aircraft to stop air leaks that let halon escape, which could render cargo fire suppression ineffective.  \n\nIt affects owners/operators of the specified aircraft unless they already have the later SB/modification installed, and required compliance was within four months of 14 April 2005."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The directive enforces a narrowly defined change (valve modification) that corresponds to the safety issue identified in a flight test (loss of halon concentration due to valve leaks). It applies only to listed aircraft and excludes those already modified (mod 33232), so the scope aligns with the stated technical objective and does not broaden beyond that purpose (Applicability; Background; Requirement)."},"complexity_factors":["Technical remedy narrowly prescribed: modification must follow Airbus Service Bulletin A320-52-1124 (Requirement).","Targeted applicability with exceptions: specific models/serials listed and aircraft with modification 33232 are excluded (Applicability).","Cross-references to other directives and approvals: references DGAC AD F-2004-172 and EASA approval (Background/Note).","Short compliance timeline: must be completed within 4 months of effective date (Compliance) increasing scheduling pressure for operators.","Operational impact uncertainty: modification may require downtime and parts availability but technical details deferred to the service bulletin (Requirement/Background)."],"plain_english_summary":"Requires operators of specified Airbus A318/A319/A320/A321 aeroplanes to modify the forward and aft cargo compartment water drain valves using Airbus Service Bulletin A320‑52‑1124. The regulator mandates completion within four months of the directive’s effective date. This targets valve leaks identified in a flight test that reduced halon fire‑extinguishing concentration; the rule applies only to aircraft listed in the Applicability (excluding those already modified by mod 33232), imposing a compliance cost and short work window on affected operators."},"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"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-a320-170-fire-protection-cargo-compartment-water-drain-valves","history":"/api/acts/ad-a320-170-fire-protection-cargo-compartment-water-drain-valves/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-a320-170-fire-protection-cargo-compartment-water-drain-valves/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-a320-170-fire-protection-cargo-compartment-water-drain-valves/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-a320-170-fire-protection-cargo-compartment-water-drain-valves/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-a320-170-fire-protection-cargo-compartment-water-drain-valves/documents"}}