{"id":"F2005L03541","name":"AD/A330/55 - Pilot and Co-pilot Powered Seats","slug":"ad-a330-55-pilot-and-co-pilot-powered-seats","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":39042,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2005L03541-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Airbus Industrie A330 Series Aeroplanes","sectionType":"division","heading":"Airbus Industrie A330 Series Aeroplanes","content":"### Airbus Industrie A330 Series Aeroplanes\n\n| AD/A330/55 | Pilot and Co-pilot Powered Seats | 13/2005 |\n| ---------- | -------------------------------- | ------- |\n\n```html\n

Applicability:

All A330 series aeroplanes equipped with EADS Sogerma Services powered cockpit seats with part numbers (P/N) as follows:

Pilot seats P/N

TAAI1-03PE00-01
TAAI1-03PE00-02
TAAI1-03PE01-01
TAAI1-03PE01-02

TAAI1-03PE02-01
TAAI1-03PE02-02
TAAI1-03PE03-01
TAAI1-03PE03-02

TAAI2-33PE00-01
TAAI2-33PE01-01
TAAI3-03PE00-01
TAAI3-03PE01-01

Co-pilot seats P/N

TAAI1-03CE00-01
TAAI1-03CE00-02
TAAI1-03CE01-01
TAAI1-03CE01-02

TAAI1-03CE02-01
TAAI1-03CE02-02
TAAI1-03CE03-01
TAAI1-03CE03-02

TAAI2-33CE00-01
TAAI2-33CE01-01
TAAI3-03CE00-01
TAAI3-03CE01-01

Spares kits P/N

TAAI2-426000-03

TAAI2-426000-04

This Directive is not applicable to aircraft equipped with powered cockpit seats P/N TAAI3-03PE00-01, TAAI3-03PE01-01, TAAI3-03CE00-01 or TAAI3-03CE01-01, serial number (S/N) 792 or higher, on which the actuator has not been replaced since delivery.

Requirement:

1. Identify the cockpit seats actuator P/N installed on the seats and accomplish any necessary corrective action in accordance with instructions of Sogerma Service Bulletin (SB) TAAI1-25-617. No further action is required for the pilot and co-pilot seats on which the accomplishment of the SB TAAI1-25-617 can be identified.

2. Cockpit seats actuators P/N 4136290004 and P/N 4136290005 with S/Ns below 5080 must be removed from service.

3. Spare seats actuators PN 4136290004 and PN 4136290005 with S/Ns below 5080 shall not be re-installed on an aircraft.

\n```\n\n| | 4. Return SOGERMA Spare Kits P/N TAAI2-426000-03 and P/NTAAI2-426000-04 to SOGERMA. |\n| ----------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| | Note: DGAC AD F-2005-164 (EASA Approval 2005-6252) refers. |\n| Compliance: | For Requirement 1 and 2 - No later than 31 May 2010. |\n| | For Requirement 3 - After 31 May 2010. |\n| | For Requirement 4 - No later than 31 May 2010. |\n| | This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 22 December 2005. |\n| Background: | The Direction Générale de l’Aviation Civile of France has advised that during the overhaul of seats, repair stations have found severe wear of the gear at rotor shaft end on certain actuators. This wear could affect the kinematics of the seat control system and lead to uncommanded pilot seat horizontal movements which could impact on control of the aircraft during take-off and landing. |\n| | Analysis has revealed that the hardness characteristics of the rotor shaft of the actuator were not in compliance with the specification. Substantial numbers of actuators are believed to be affected this production issue and the aim of this Directive is to identify them and to remove them from service. |\n\n![](image.001.png) \nJames Coyne \nDelegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority\n\n10 November 2005","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"AD/A330/55","sectionType":"part","heading":"AD/A330/55","content":"## AD/A330/55","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"Pilot and Co-pilot Powered Seats","sectionType":"part","heading":"Pilot and Co-pilot Powered Seats","content":"## Pilot and Co-pilot Powered Seats","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"13/2005","sectionType":"part","heading":"13/2005","content":"## 13/2005","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This AD remains narrowly focused on the original purpose described in its Background: identify and remove actuators affected by a production hardness defect that can cause severe wear and possible uncommanded seat movement. The measures (inspection per Sogerma SB, removal of actuators below a serial-number threshold, prohibition on reinstalling affected spares, and return of specified spare kits) align with that safety‑limited objective and do not expand the scope beyond identifying and removing the defective parts."},"complexity_factors":["Short, single-issue directive focused on a specific component (actuators) rather than broad regulatory change","Lists of affected part numbers (multiple pilot, co-pilot and spare kit P/Ns) require cross-checking fleet inventories","One conditional exception based on seat P/N and serial number (TAAI3 P/Ns with S/N ≥ 792 where actuator has not been replaced) adds a discrete eligibility filter","Four numbered requirements with straightforward actions (identify/inspect/repair; remove specific P/Ns with S/N < 5080; prohibition on reinstalling those spares; return spare kits)","Cross-references to Sogerma Service Bulletin TAAI1-25-617 and to foreign ADs/EASA approval, requiring operators to consult external documents for technical detail","Fixed calendar compliance deadlines (some actions due by a date, one rule effective for actions after that date)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this instrument does (in one line)**\n\n- This Airworthiness Directive (AD) requires operators of certain Airbus A330 aeroplanes to identify specific powered cockpit seat actuators, follow a manufacturer service bulletin to inspect and fix them if necessary, remove defective actuators from service, stop certain spare actuators being re‑installed, and return designated spare kits to the seat manufacturer (Sogerma).\n\n**Who is affected**\n\n- Airline/operators that own or operate A330 series aircraft fitted with the listed EADS Sogerma powered pilot and co‑pilot seats (the AD lists specific part numbers for pilot seats, co‑pilot seats and spare kits). \"Part number (P/N)\" means the manufacturer's identifier for a component; \"serial number (S/N)\" is the unique production identifier. \n\n**Why it matters (safety risk and mechanical fault)**\n\n- The regulator says some actuators have excessive wear at the rotor shaft end because the shaft hardness did not meet the specification. That wear can change the seat control kinematics and may cause uncommanded horizontal movement of the pilot or co‑pilot seat. Uncommanded seat movement during critical phases (take‑off or landing) could interfere with control inputs. The AD's stated purpose is to identify affected actuators and remove them from service to reduce that risk (see \"Background\").\n\n**What operators must do (mechanics of compliance)**\n\n- Applicability: The AD applies to all A330 aeroplanes equipped with the listed Sogerma powered cockpit seats unless a stated exception applies (the AD lists exact P/Ns and notes an exemption for certain TAAI3 seat P/Ns at or above S/N 792 where the actuator has never been replaced since delivery). \n\n- Requirement 1: Identify the actuator P/N installed in the seats and carry out any corrective actions required by Sogerma Service Bulletin (SB) TAAI1‑25‑617. If the SB can be shown to have already been complied with for a given pilot or co‑pilot seat, no further action is required for that seat. \n\n- Requirement 2: Remove from service cockpit seat actuators with P/N 4136290004 or 4136290005 whose S/N is below 5080. \n\n- Requirement 3: Do not reinstall spare actuators with P/N 4136290004 or 4136290005 with S/Ns below 5080 onto an aircraft. \n\n- Requirement 4: Return Sogerma spare kits P/N TAAI2‑426000‑03 and TAAI2‑426000‑04 to Sogerma. \n\n- Deadlines: Requirements 1, 2 and 4 had to be completed by 31 May 2010; Requirement 3 is effective for actions after 31 May 2010. The AD itself became effective on 22 December 2005. (Those were the compliance dates set by the AD.)\n\n**Who pays and who decides**\n\n- Operators (airlines, aircraft owners) bear the costs: time and labour to identify and inspect seats, any corrective maintenance, removal and replacement of actuators, parts procurement, and logistics to return spare kits. Maintenance organisations perform the work under the instructions of the regulator and the Sogerma SB. Sogerma supplies the SB and receives returned kits. The regulator (delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority) enforces compliance. \n\n**Where the AD directs action to the manufacturer and implications**\n\n- The AD mandates compliance with Sogerma's Service Bulletin for corrective action. That channels the solution through the manufacturer; operators must follow the manufacturer’s technical instructions. This concentrates technical decision‑making and parts supply with Sogerma for the affected items (see Requirement 1 and cross‑reference to SB).\n\n**Costs, incentives and trade‑offs to note**\n\n- Direct costs: inspection, parts replacement, maintenance man‑hours, possible operational disruption while work is performed. \n\n- Concentrated benefit / diffuse cost: The safety benefit (reduced risk of uncommanded seat movement) accrues to aircrew and passengers generally, while the financial cost is concentrated on operators. \n\n- Vendor dependence: Corrective action follows Sogerma SB TAAI1‑25‑617; operators have to procure parts or approved alternatives consistent with that SB and the regulator’s acceptance, which can concentrate spending with the OEM and authorised maintenance providers. \n\n- Implementation risk: If replacement actuators are limited in supply, operators may face scheduling problems or aircraft downtime. Record‑keeping to prove SB compliance and trace serial numbers is necessary to show regulatory compliance. \n\n- Substitution effects: Operators could respond by replacing the entire seat assembly or swapping in compliant actuators; the AD prohibits re‑installation of certain spare actuators (Requirement 3), which limits simple reuse of existing stock. \n\n**Practical compliance and enforcement notes**\n\n- Operators must be able to identify P/Ns and S/Ns on installed actuators, retain evidence of SB compliance (for seats already serviced), and manage removal/return logistics for spare kits. The AD cross‑references the French DGAC AD (F‑2005‑164) and an EASA approval number; regulators often coordinate on such directives, but the compliance obligations sit with the operator under this AD.\n\n**Bottom line (mechanical change and purpose claim tested against costs/incentives)**\n\n- Mechanically, the AD demands identification, manufacturer‑specified corrective action, removal of specific low‑serial actuators from service, prohibition on reinstalling those spares, and return of two spare kit part numbers to Sogerma. The AD claims the purpose is to remove actuators with a production hardness defect to avoid uncommanded seat movement. The measures are narrowly targeted at that defect. The main trade‑offs are operator cost and vendor dependence versus reducing a safety risk that could affect aircraft control during critical flight phases."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a standard airworthiness directive addressing a specific safety defect in aircraft components. The scope remains tightly focused on the identified seat actuator defect in Airbus A330 aircraft and has not expanded beyond this original safety purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple specific part numbers listed (24 distinct seat part numbers, 2 spare kit numbers, 2 actuator numbers)","Serial number threshold (S/N 5080) creates a conditional cutoff for compliance","Exemption clause for certain aircraft with serial numbers 792 or higher where actuators haven't been replaced","Cross-reference to French aviation authority (DGAC) and European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) approval","Four distinct requirements with different compliance dates","Reference to external technical document (Service Bulletin TAAI1-25-617) which contains the actual repair instructions"],"plain_english_summary":"This CASA Airworthiness Directive mandates that operators of certain Airbus A330s with EADS Sogerma powered pilot/co‑pilot seats inspect and rectify defective seat actuators that can cause uncommanded horizontal movement. Affected actuators must be removed or returned per the manufacturer’s service bulletin, and identified faulty spares must not be reinstalled.\n\nIt matters because unexpected seat movement during critical phases could impair pilot control and safety."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-a330-55-pilot-and-co-pilot-powered-seats","history":"/api/acts/ad-a330-55-pilot-and-co-pilot-powered-seats/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-a330-55-pilot-and-co-pilot-powered-seats/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-a330-55-pilot-and-co-pilot-powered-seats/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-a330-55-pilot-and-co-pilot-powered-seats/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-a330-55-pilot-and-co-pilot-powered-seats/documents"}}