{"id":"F2010L01938","name":"AD/BAL/3 Amdt 5 - LP Gas Cylinders","slug":"ad-bal-3-amdt-5-lp-gas-cylinders","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":124380,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2010L01938-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Hot Air Balloons","sectionType":"division","heading":"Hot Air Balloons","content":"### Hot Air Balloons\n\n| AD/BAL/3 Amdt 5 | LP Gas Cylinders | 14/2010 |\n| --------------- | ---------------- | ------- |\n\n| Applicability: | All LPG fuel cylinders for use in hot air balloons. |\n| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Requirement: | 1. Inspect in accordance with the requirements of Australian StandardAS 2030.5-2009. Where any defect or suspected defect as defined in Table 6.1 of AS 2337.1-2004 is found, hydrostatic proof testing is required.2. For cylinders for which a service life limitation is specified by the cylinder specification and/or manufacturer, retire the cylinder from service and destroy.Notes:1. Earlier versions of AS 2030.1 stated that they were not applicable to cylinders used in aircraft. AS 2030.1-1999 and subsequent revisions, make clear that it is applicable as a reference made in a direction pursuant to the Civil Aviation Regulations.2. A “certificated test station” is a test station that has been certified in accordance with the requirements of AS 2337.1. Further, an endorsement of compliance withAS 2030.1 made by such a certificated test station is acceptable as an entry or reference in CASA approved documents for the purpose of inspection of the cylinder only.Such an endorsement or certification is not an endorsement for correct assembling of a cylinder assembly, nor the installation of such an assembly into a balloon; e.g. there are additional requirements such as AD/BAL/14.An authorised person must still certify on a balloon's approved Aircraft Log Book as to serviceability and suitability prior to use of the cylinder/s.3. Section 9.2 of AS 2030.5-2009 is of particular importance. This section requires that any tests or inspections called up by the cylinder specification and/or manufacturer must be complied with in conjunction with the tests and inspections listed in AS 2030.5-2009; e.g. certain American and UK cylinder specifications, and/or manufacturers, require a hydrostatic pressure test every 10 years; in which case the hydrostatic test must be carried out. |\n\n| | 4. It is a requirement of the various State OH&S and Gas laws that only cylinders that have been inspected in accordance with AS 2030.1-2009 can be refilled. These laws are applicable to the cylinders used in hot air ballooning, and the Authority has no jurisdiction over this aspect. Hence, it is possible for foreign sourced cylinders to be acceptable to the Authority for the purpose of a Type Certificate, but not be in compliance with the law/s of the State/s.In such circumstances, while it may be legitimate to use such cylinders for an aviation purpose, they may not be refilled under the terms of a State's regulatory requirement.CASA has no responsibility whatsoever for such matters and the owner/CofR holder is responsible for seeking compliance with the law/s of the State/s.5. As stated in Note 3 above, AS 2030.5-2009 also invokes the tests and inspections required by the cylinder standard and/or the manufacturer. Hence compliance with the requirement above also necessitates compliance with the intervals listed in those documents.6. The physical configuration of the cylinder and its fittings must be as approved by the balloon manufacturer unless any changes are covered by an STC or other approval (ie, CAR 35). Simply replacing a component with another of the same part number may result in configuration changes, because gas component manufacturers may change the design of a component without changing the part number. It is particularly important that any changes to valves, regulators or other fittings on the top of a gas cylinder be carefully monitored. Gas equipment maintenance personnel do not usually have detailed information regarding appropriate fittings for balloon fuel cylinders. |\n| ----------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Compliance: | For Requirement 1: In accordance with the inspection intervals specified by Australian Standard AS 2030.5-2009.For Requirement 2: At the expiration of the service life limitation specified by the cylinder specification and/or manufacturer. |\n| | This Amendment becomes effective on 9 July 2010. |\n| Background: | This AD was initially raised in order to combine the aviation requirements of AD/GAS/1 and State legislative requirements, and also allow for the operational usage of balloon fuel cylinders. Since the initial issue and subsequent amendment, a number of the original assumptions used in those issues were found to have changed.Amendment 2 addressed those changes, and provided some relief to operators in that the requirement for routine hydrostatic inspection was removed. |\n\n| | Amendment 2 also stipulated a retirement life for cylinders based on certain assumptions regarding operational usage. Information subsequently provided by, and on behalf of, the Australian Ballooning Federation, shows that some of those assumptions were incorrect and that the accumulation of fatigue damage and estimated crack propagation rates, are much less rapid than had been indicated.Amendment 3 deleted the blanket 25 year retirement life. Requirement 1(b) was also amended to show that Table 6.1 (defect definitions) is part of AS 2337.1-2004, which is referenced in the inspection standard AS 2030.1-1999. Reference to the “Maintenance Release” was been corrected to “Aircraft Log Book”.Amendment 4 deleted the “Tare Mass Test” requirement. Advice from Standards Australia indicated that “Tare Mass Testing” of thin walled gas cylinders was not the critical test for corrosion of this type of cylinder.Amendment 4 also added the caution at Note 6. An accident caused by a valve assembly breaking during landing, resulted in a fire. The original assembly had been replaced with another which protruded beyond the cylinder safety collar, and as a result was no longer adequately protected.This amendment revises the references to the current revisions of the Australian Standards.The basic requirements and compliance times of this directive are unchanged by this amendment.Amendment 4 of this Airworthiness Directive became effective on 19 June 2002.Amendment 3 of this Airworthiness Directive became effective on 2 November 2000.Amendment 2 of this Airworthiness Directive became effective on 13 July 2000.Amendment 1 of this Airworthiness Directive became effective in October 1987.The original issue of this Airworthiness Directive became effective on 18 April 1986. |\n| --- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n\n![](image.001.png)\n\nDavid Punshon \nDelegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority\n\n5 July 2010","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"AD/BAL/3 Amdt 5","sectionType":"part","heading":"AD/BAL/3 Amdt 5","content":"## AD/BAL/3 Amdt 5","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"LP Gas Cylinders","sectionType":"part","heading":"LP Gas Cylinders","content":"## LP Gas Cylinders","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"14/2010","sectionType":"part","heading":"14/2010","content":"## 14/2010","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Amendment 5 is a technical update that revises references to current Australian Standards revisions without changing the basic requirements or compliance times. The scope remains consistent with the original 1986 intent: ensuring safe inspection and retirement of LPG cylinders for hot air balloons. The background shows evolution through amendments (removing blanket retirement ages, deleting tare mass tests, adding valve safety warnings) but these represent refinement rather than scope expansion."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple nested standards referenced (AS 2030.5-2009, AS 2337.1-2004, AS 2030.1-1999) requiring cross-referencing to understand full requirements","Conditional logic: hydrostatic testing only triggered if defects found per Table 6.1 of AS 2337.1-2004","Dual regulatory framework: aviation requirements (CASA) operate alongside state OH&S and gas laws, creating jurisdictional complexity","Six detailed notes with caveats, exceptions, and historical context that modify the core requirements","Service life limitations vary by cylinder specification/manufacturer rather than fixed universal rule","Amendment history references (Amendments 1-4) embedded in background section, though current requirements are consolidated"],"plain_english_summary":"CASA’s Airworthiness Directive requires inspection and testing of LP gas cylinders used in hot air balloons to ensure aviation safety—mandating compliance with AS 2030.5-2009, hydrostatic proof testing for defects, and retirement at manufacturer service-life limits. It applies to balloon operators, owners and maintenance personnel and is mandatory for legal flight.\n\nThe AD is safety-critical (preventing fires/explosions), requires certificated test stations and authorised installation certification, and sits alongside state laws governing cylinder refilling."},"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"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"Scope was narrowed over time. Earlier iterations imposed routine hydrostatic inspection and a blanket 25‑year retirement life. Amendments removed the routine hydrostatic requirement and the blanket retirement age; the current instrument requires inspections per AS 2030.5-2009, hydrostatic testing only when defects are found (AS 2337.1-2004 Table 6.1), and retirement where a service-life is specified by the cylinder specification or manufacturer. State refilling laws remain outside CASA's jurisdiction."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple external standards referenced (AS 2030.5-2009 and AS 2337.1-2004) creating cross-document compliance obligations","Conditional testing rule: hydrostatic proof test triggered only if defects per Table 6.1 are found, requiring technical inspection judgment","Reliance on cylinder specification/manufacturer service-life limits rather than a single uniform retirement age","Interaction with State OH&S and gas laws that govern refilling (different regulatory regimes and potential conflicts)","Different compliance actors with distinct roles and limits (certificated test stations, authorised persons, balloon manufacturers, CoR holders)","Configuration control risks where part-number substitutions can alter approved fittings, requiring monitoring and approvals (STC/CAR 35)","Recordkeeping and certification requirements (Aircraft Log Book endorsement by an authorised person) add administrative burden","History of amendments and prior changes to inspection/retirement requirements increases interpretive complexity"],"plain_english_summary":"This directive requires all LPG cylinders used in hot air balloons to be inspected under Australian Standard AS 2030.5-2009. Hydrostatic proof testing is required only when defects (as defined in AS 2337.1-2004 Table 6.1) are found. Cylinders with a manufacturer- or specification-stated service life must be retired and destroyed when that life expires. It affects balloon operators, cylinder owners/CoR holders, certificated test stations and authorised persons; state OH&S and gas laws control refilling and remain the owner's responsibility."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-bal-3-amdt-5-lp-gas-cylinders","history":"/api/acts/ad-bal-3-amdt-5-lp-gas-cylinders/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-bal-3-amdt-5-lp-gas-cylinders/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-bal-3-amdt-5-lp-gas-cylinders/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-bal-3-amdt-5-lp-gas-cylinders/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-bal-3-amdt-5-lp-gas-cylinders/documents"}}