{"id":"F2006B03783","name":"AD/BEECH 33/13 - Flap Bracket","slug":"ad-beech-33-13-flap-bracket","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":43379,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B03783-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/BEECH 33/13 - Flap Bracket","content":"---\nmeta-content-style-type: text/css\nmeta-content-type: application/xhtml+xml; charset=utf-8\nmeta-generator: Aspose.Words for .NET 22.10.0\n---\n\n?xml version=\"1.0\" encoding=\"utf-8\" standalone=\"no\"?>\n\nCOMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY\n\nSCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES\n\n \n\n![](image.001.png)  Beechcraft 33 and 35-33 (Debonair/Bonanza) Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/BEECH 33/13 Flap Bracket 8/72\n\nApplicability: All models which have achieved 1000 or more hours time in service.\n\n \n\nRequirement: Inspect flap actuator bracket and adjacent structure on RH and LH flaps for cracks or signs of distress.\n\n \n\nCompliance: Within 100 hours time in service after 31 August 1972 and thereafter at intervals not exceeding 300 hours time in service.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The directive, as written, sets a specific, limited scope: it applies to Beechcraft 33 and 35-33 series aeroplanes that have reached 1,000 or more hours TIS and requires inspections of the flap actuator bracket and adjacent structure at prescribed intervals (initial within 100 hours after 31 August 1972, then every 300 hours). The text itself contains no indication that the scope departs from that stated purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Clear, narrowly framed technical requirement (inspect flap actuator bracket and adjacent structure). (Requirement)","Applicability limited by a simple numeric threshold (>= 1,000 hours TIS), which is easy to determine. (Applicability)","Time-based compliance schedule with an initial deadline tied to a historical date and recurring 300-hour intervals introduces straightforward but recurring administrative tracking. (Compliance)","Key terms are not technically defined in the text (e.g. \"signs of distress\", \"adjacent structure\"), producing some ambiguity for implementers.","No procedural detail on who must perform inspections or which inspection methods are acceptable, leaving implementation choices to operators and maintenance providers.","Text is short and does not set out enforcement mechanisms or remedial actions in-line, requiring reference to broader regulatory framework for enforcement context. (header)"],"plain_english_summary":"What this instrument does mechanically:\n\n- It requires inspections of the flap actuator bracket and the nearby structure on both the right-hand (RH) and left-hand (LH) flaps of Beechcraft 33 and 35-33 series aeroplanes. (Requirement)\n- It applies only to those aircraft of these models that have 1,000 or more hours time in service (TIS). (Applicability)\n- The first inspection must be carried out within 100 hours TIS after 31 August 1972, and then repeated at intervals not exceeding 300 hours TIS. (Compliance)\n\nWho it affects and who decides:\n\n- The directive binds owners/operators of the affected Beechcraft 33/35-33 aeroplanes that meet the 1,000+ hours TIS threshold. (Applicability)\n- The directive is issued under the Commonwealth schedule of Airworthiness Directives by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (header). That authority sets the requirement and the timing. (header)\n\nWho pays and what changes in behaviour:\n\n- Aircraft owners/operators bear the cost of the inspections, any follow-on maintenance or repairs, and any aircraft downtime while inspections or repairs are carried out. (Requirement; Compliance)\n- Owners/operators must arrange for the initial inspection within the stated 100-hour window after the reference date, and set up recurring inspections at intervals no greater than 300 hours TIS. This changes maintenance scheduling and creates a recurring operational cost. (Compliance)\n\nCompliance burden, discretion and implementation issues:\n\n- The directive is concise about what to inspect (the flap actuator bracket and adjacent structure) and how often, but it does not define technical details such as what constitutes \"signs of distress,\" the acceptable inspection method, or who (e.g. licensed maintenance engineer versus owner) must perform the inspection. This leaves room for implementation choices by operators and maintenance providers. (Requirement)\n- Because the AD sets time-based intervals (first within 100 hours after a fixed historical date; then every 300 hours), operators must track aircraft TIS and schedule inspections accordingly. Record-keeping and scheduling are operational requirements implicit in the compliance clause. (Compliance)\n- The directive creates recurring demand for inspection and, where defects are found, repair services. Independent maintenance organisations can supply those services; the cost is borne by the aircraft owner/operator. (Requirement; Compliance)\n\nTrade-offs, incentives and likely effects on private choice:\n\n- The directive increases ongoing maintenance costs and introduces scheduled downtime that reduces available flight hours until the aircraft is inspected and any defects fixed. (Compliance)\n- It provides an incentive for operators to monitor TIS closely and to prioritise attention to the flap actuator bracket and nearby structure to avoid in-service failures. The directive does not directly mandate repairs beyond the inspection finding, but reasonable inference is that cracks or distress would require corrective action to return to service. (Requirement)\n- The measure shifts some economic activity to maintenance providers (inspection and repair work) while imposing a compliance cost on owners/operators. The text does not prescribe compensation, subsidies, or fee exemptions. (Requirement; Compliance)\n\nSummary of risks and uncertainties in applying the directive:\n\n- Ambiguity over terms such as \"signs of distress\" and \"adjacent structure\" and absence of specified inspection methods create implementation risk and potential variability between operators and maintenance facilities about when an aircraft must be grounded or repaired. (Requirement)\n- The directive does not specify enforcement actions or penalties in this text; enforcement processes would follow from the issuing authority's broader regulatory powers, not from this schedule entry alone. (header)\n\nSections cited: Applicability, Requirement, Compliance; issuing authority noted in the schedule header."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a discrete, standalone airworthiness directive with a narrow, specific safety purpose. It has not expanded beyond its original intent of addressing a known structural fatigue issue in specific Beechcraft models."},"complexity_factors":["Single, specific mechanical component addressed (flap actuator bracket)","Clear applicability threshold (1000+ hours time in service)","Simple binary inspection requirement (check for cracks/distress)","Straightforward compliance schedule (initial + recurring intervals)","No defined terms section, no cross-references to other legislation","Extremely short document (approximately 100 words of substantive content)"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an **Airworthiness Directive** (a mandatory safety order) issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority for certain **Beechcraft aeroplanes** (specifically the Debonair and Bonanza models, series 33 and 35-33).\n\n**What it does:**\n- Requires owners and operators to **inspect the flap brackets** — the metal parts that connect the flaps (the moving surfaces on the wings that help with landing and takeoff) to the aircraft structure.\n- The inspection looks for **cracks or signs of stress damage** on both the left and right sides.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- All Beechcraft 33 and 35-33 series aircraft that have flown **1,000 hours or more**.\n\n**When it must be done:**\n- First inspection: within **100 flying hours after 31 August 1972**.\n- Repeat inspections: **every 300 flying hours** after that.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nCracks in flap brackets can lead to **structural failure of the flaps**, potentially causing loss of control during critical flight phases like landing. This directive prevents accidents by catching fatigue damage before it becomes dangerous."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-beech-33-13-flap-bracket","history":"/api/acts/ad-beech-33-13-flap-bracket/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-beech-33-13-flap-bracket/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-beech-33-13-flap-bracket/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-beech-33-13-flap-bracket/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-beech-33-13-flap-bracket/documents"}}