{"id":"F2007L04009","name":"AD/A330/79 - Rudder Control Rod","slug":"ad-a330-79-rudder-control-rod","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":160802,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2007L04009-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-04","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/A330/79 | Rudder Control Rod | 11/2007 |\n| ---------- | ------------------ | ------- |\n\n| Applicability: | Model A330-200 and A330-300 series aircraft, with the following serial numbers:0315, 0323, 0333, 0337, 0338, 0342, 0344, 0346, 0349, 0350, 0351, 0356, 0357, 0370, 0375, 0388, 0389, 0398, 0400, 0404, 0407, 0408, 0412, 0427, 0432, 0454, 0493, and 0539.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |\n| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Requirement:   | Action in accordance with the requirements of EASA AD 2007-0246.Note: Airbus Service Bulletin A330-27-3157 original issue, or later EASA approved revision, refers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                         |\n| Compliance:    | As specified in the Requirement document, with a revised effective date of25 October 2007.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                  |\n|                | This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 25 October 2007.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                          |\n| Background:    | A report was received of a disbond on the composite rudder control rod on a Model A320 aircraft. Investigation revealed the disbond was due to an incorrect low volume of resin in the fibre composite. The supplier and Airbus have confirmed that some rudder control rods installed on A330 aircraft before delivery or delivered as a spare are also affected. Rudder control rod rupture can lead in the worst case, in combination with a yaw damper runaway, to an unsafe condition. |\n\n![](image.001.png)  \nDavid Villiers  \nDelegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority\n\n13 September 2007","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"AD/A330/79","sectionType":"part","heading":"AD/A330/79","content":"## AD/A330/79","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"Rudder Control Rod","sectionType":"part","heading":"Rudder Control Rod","content":"## Rudder Control Rod","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"11/2007","sectionType":"part","heading":"11/2007","content":"## 11/2007","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"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":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a standard, targeted Airworthiness Directive addressing a specific manufacturing defect in specific aircraft. It has not expanded beyond its original safety purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (under 300 words)","Only 4 substantive sections: Applicability, Requirement, Compliance, and Background","No defined terms section — all language is plain technical aviation terminology","Single cross-reference to external document (EASA AD 2007-0246) with no nested conditions","No exceptions, exemptions, or conditional logic — applies to listed serial numbers or it doesn't","Clear, unambiguous compliance date"],"plain_english_summary":"This AD orders owners/operators of 28 specific Airbus A330-200/-300 airframes to inspect and, if necessary, repair rudder control rods made with deficient composite resin that can delaminate. A rod failure combined with a yaw-damper runaway could render the aircraft uncontrollable. Compliance follows EASA AD 2007‑0246 and an Airbus Service Bulletin; the mandated corrective action deadline was 25 October 2007."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Scope is limited to the specific A330‑200/300 serial numbers listed and to rudder control rods (including some spares) identified by the supplier and Airbus. The instrument adopts the requirements of EASA AD 2007‑0246 without expanding applicability beyond the affected aircraft/parts described in the AD (Applicability; Requirement; Background)."},"complexity_factors":["Cross-reference to an external mandatory document (EASA AD 2007-0246) rather than full procedural text in the AD itself (Requirement).","Narrow, serial-number specific applicability requiring operators to check aircraft identity against a list (Applicability).","Technical root cause (composite rudder control rod disbond due to low resin volume) requiring non-routine inspection/repair or part replacement (Background).","Includes parts-as-spares risk: affected components may exist off-airframe and in supply chains, adding logistical complexity (Background).","Compliance timing and legal effect are fixed (effective date 25 October 2007), so operators face immediate scheduling and resource constraints (Compliance).","Safety consequence depends on interaction with another system failure (yaw damper runaway), creating conditional risk assessment for operators (Background)."],"plain_english_summary":"This Airworthiness Directive requires operators of specified Airbus A330‑200 and A330‑300 aircraft (listed serial numbers) to follow the inspection and corrective actions set out in EASA AD 2007‑0246, effective 25 October 2007. It addresses possible disbonding of composite rudder control rods — including some spare parts — which can rupture and, if combined with a yaw‑damper runaway, create an unsafe condition. Operators will need to schedule inspections or replacements, bear associated maintenance costs and manage parts supply and aircraft downtime."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-a330-79-rudder-control-rod","history":"/api/acts/ad-a330-79-rudder-control-rod/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-a330-79-rudder-control-rod/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-a330-79-rudder-control-rod/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-a330-79-rudder-control-rod/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-a330-79-rudder-control-rod/documents"}}