{"id":"F2006B03856","name":"AD/BEECH 35/60 - Seat Recline Actuators","slug":"ad-beech-35-60-seat-recline-actuators","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":43465,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B03856-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/BEECH 35/60 - Seat Recline Actuators","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 35 (Bonanza) Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/BEECH 35/60 Seat Recline Actuators 12/87\n\nApplicability: All models with S/Nos listed in the Requirement document which are equipped with Hydrolock seat recline actuators on copilot, 3rd and 4th seats.\n\n \n\nRequirement: Action in accordance with Beechcraft SB No 2175 R1.\n\n \n\nNote: FAA AD 87-18-06 refers.\n\n \n\nCompliance: Within 100 hrs time in service after 3 December 1987 or at the next scheduled inspection for Maintenance Release issue, whichever is later.\n\n \n\nBackground: The manufacturer reports instances of inadvertent actuation of the seat mechanism which in some phases of flight operation could be a hazard.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The AD text defines a targeted scope: it applies only to Beechcraft 35 series aeroplanes with serial numbers listed in the Requirement document and fitted with Hydrolock seat recline actuators on specified seats (Applicability). The instrument itself does not indicate any change to that scope; it mandates corrective work per the manufacturer’s Service Bulletin and sets a clear compliance window (Requirement) (Compliance)."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow applicability requiring checking a separate Requirement document for serial numbers (Applicability).","Mandated compliance by reference to an external technical document (Beechcraft SB No. 2175 R1) rather than detailing corrective steps in the AD itself (Requirement).","Compliance timing that uses a dual trigger: a fixed flight-hour window after a date or the next scheduled Maintenance Release, whichever is later (Compliance).","Technical nature of the remedy (seat recline actuator work) requiring qualified maintenance personnel and possible workshop downtime (Requirement).","Cross-reference to an FAA airworthiness directive, creating a need to consider parallel regulatory material (Note)."],"plain_english_summary":"What this instrument does\n\n- It requires certain Beechcraft 35 (Bonanza) aeroplanes to have corrective work done on Hydrolock seat recline actuators fitted to the copilot, 3rd and 4th seats. The mandatory work must be carried out exactly as set out in Beechcraft Service Bulletin No. 2175 Revision 1. (Requirement)\n\nWho it applies to\n\n- The AD applies only to those Beechcraft 35 series aeroplanes whose serial numbers are listed in the Requirement document and which are fitted with Hydrolock seat recline actuators on the copilot, 3rd and 4th seats. (Applicability)\n\nWhen it must be done\n\n- Operators must comply within 100 hours time in service after 3 December 1987, or at the next scheduled inspection for issuing a Maintenance Release, whichever comes later. That deadline sets the scheduling constraint for affected aircraft. (Compliance)\n\nWhy it was issued (official rationale)\n\n- The manufacturer reported occurrences of inadvertent actuation of the seat mechanism. The AD cites the manufacturer’s report and treats the inadvertent actuation as a potential hazard in some flight phases. (Background)\n\nPractical mechanics and immediate effects\n\n- The regulator (Civil Aviation Safety Authority) makes compliance mandatory by reference to the service bulletin; owners/operators must arrange for the prescribed inspections/repairs and record compliance at or before the specified deadline. (Requirement) (Compliance)\n\nWho pays, who decides, and what changes\n\n- Who pays: the aircraft owner/operator pays for labour and any parts or shop time needed to perform the service-bulletin work. (Requirement)\n- Who decides: the AD is the regulator’s direction; the detailed steps are set by the manufacturer’s SB. A qualified maintenance organisation must interpret and apply the SB and record the Maintenance Release as required. (Requirement) (Compliance)\n- Behaviour change: affected aircraft will be scheduled for the specified maintenance action within the stated compliance window; operators must allocate maintenance slots and possibly ground the aircraft briefly to complete the work. (Compliance)\n\nCosts, incentives and implementation considerations (mechanisms, trade-offs and risks)\n\n- Compliance cost is concentrated on the owners/operators of the identified serial-numbered aircraft because they must pay for the SB work. (Applicability) (Requirement)\n- The AD delegates the technical remedy to the manufacturer’s Service Bulletin; this concentrates decision-making about the technical fix in the SB, while the regulator enforces compliance. That creates reliance on the SB’s clarity and on the availability of qualified maintenance personnel to carry it out. (Requirement)\n- The timing rule (100 hours after 3 December 1987 or at next scheduled Maintenance Release) gives operators flexibility to combine the mandated work with scheduled maintenance, reducing duplication of effort but imposing an upper bound on scheduling. (Compliance)\n- The AD references a related FAA AD, indicating parallel or harmonised regulatory attention; operators that track multiple regulators may need to reconcile any cross-references. (Note)\n\nWhat the AD does not say\n\n- The AD does not specify parts, costs, or alternative mitigations in the text; those technical and cost details are left to the Service Bulletin and to the maintenance organisations implementing it. (Requirement)\n\nSource citations\n\n- Applicability, Requirement, Compliance, Background, Note: text of the AD."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a discrete, single-issue safety directive focused specifically on seat recline actuators in one aircraft series. It has not expanded beyond its original technical safety purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (approximately 150 words)","Only 1 defined term implicitly referenced (the Service Bulletin)","No cross-references to other legislation beyond a single note about the FAA equivalent","Simple conditional logic: applicability based on aircraft model, serial number, and specific equipment","Single compliance pathway with straightforward deadline calculation","No nested exceptions or sub-delegations"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this is:** This is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** — essentially a mandatory safety order issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Think of it like a compulsory recall notice, but for aircraft rather than cars.\n\n**What it does:** It requires owners and operators of specific Beechcraft 35 (Bonanza) series aeroplanes to inspect or fix a problem with **seat recline actuators** — the hydraulic mechanisms that let seats tilt back. The specific parts are \"Hydrolock\" brand actuators fitted to the copilot seat and the 3rd and 4th seats.\n\n**Who it affects:** Anyone who owns or operates a Beechcraft 35 series aircraft with specific serial numbers (listed in a separate Beechcraft document) that have these particular seat mechanisms installed.\n\n**What must be done:** Operators must follow the instructions in **Beechcraft Service Bulletin No. 2175 Revision 1** — a technical repair notice from the manufacturer. The FAA (American aviation regulator) has issued a matching directive (AD 87-18-06), so this aligns Australian requirements with the US safety action.\n\n**Why it matters:** The manufacturer found cases where these seat mechanisms could move unexpectedly (\"inadvertent actuation\"). If a seat suddenly reclines during critical phases of flight — like takeoff or landing — it could distract the pilot or block controls, creating a serious safety hazard.\n\n**When it had to be done:** Within 100 hours of flying time after 3 December 1987, or at the next scheduled inspection (whichever came later). For context, this directive is now historical — it dates from 1987 — but would still apply to any aircraft that hadn't yet complied."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-beech-35-60-seat-recline-actuators","history":"/api/acts/ad-beech-35-60-seat-recline-actuators/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-beech-35-60-seat-recline-actuators/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-beech-35-60-seat-recline-actuators/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-beech-35-60-seat-recline-actuators/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-beech-35-60-seat-recline-actuators/documents"}}