{"id":"F2006B04324","name":"AD/BELL 204/18 - Swashplate Scissors Lever Bolts","slug":"ad-bell-204-18-swashplate-scissors-lever-bolts","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":44139,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B04324-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/BELL 204/18 - Swashplate Scissors Lever Bolts","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)  \n![](image.002.png)  Bell Helicopter Textron 204 Series Helicopters\n\n \n\n# AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE\n\n![](image.002.png)\n\nFor the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below revokes Airworthiness Directive AD/BELL 204/18.\n\n![](image.002.png)  \n\n\n \n\n# AD/BELL 204/18 Swashplate Scissors Lever Bolts 8/2000\n\nRequirement: CANCELLED.\n\n \n\nBackground: No longer relevant, and follows the re-introduction of the AD Series after sixteen years.\n\n![](image.003.png)  \n\n\n \n\nDavid Alan Villiers\n\nDelegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority 6 July 2000\n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n \n\n![](image.002.png)  \n\n\nThe above AD is notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 12 July 2000.\n\n \n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The instrument changes the previous scope by removing a mandatory airworthiness requirement that applied to Bell 204 series helicopters. The text states the requirement is cancelled (\"Requirement: CANCELLED.\") and gives the background rationale that it is \"No longer relevant\" following re-introduction of the AD Series after sixteen years (Background sentence). The revocation was made by the CASA delegate and notified in the Gazette (signature/date and Gazette notice)."},"complexity_factors":["Document is very short and contains a single operative action: revocation/cancellation of a prior AD (\"Requirement: CANCELLED.\").","Limited technical content: no inspection, modification, or compliance procedure is specified in this text.","Administrative/legal references are minimal (CASA delegate signature, Gazette notification), reducing procedural complexity.","Absence of transitional or consequential provisions increases simplicity but requires operators to consult other sources for remaining obligations."],"plain_english_summary":"What this instrument does, in plain terms:\n\n- This document revokes a previous airworthiness directive (AD) for Bell Helicopter Textron 204 series helicopters that concerned the \"Swashplate Scissors Lever Bolts.\" The AD entry now reads: \"Requirement: CANCELLED.\" (Source: \"Requirement: CANCELLED.\").\n\nWho makes the decision and when:\n\n- The revocation was made by a delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). The document is signed by David Alan Villiers, Delegate of CASA, dated 6 July 2000, and the revocation was notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 12 July 2000 (Source: signature/date and Gazette notice).\n\nWhy this matters and the official rationale:\n\n- The stated reason in the document is that the AD is \"No longer relevant, and follows the re-introduction of the AD Series after sixteen years.\" (Source: \"Background: No longer relevant, and follows the re-introduction of the AD Series after sixteen years.\"). That is the regulator's explicit explanation for cancelling the earlier requirement.\n\nPractical effects and who pays or benefits:\n\n- Operators of Bell 204 series helicopters who had been subject to the prior AD are no longer legally required, under this AD entry, to comply with the cancelled requirement. This reduces regulatory compliance obligations for those operators (Source: \"Requirement: CANCELLED.\").\n- The regulator (CASA) is the decision-maker and bearer of the administrative task of revocation and notification (Source: signature/date and Gazette notice).\n\nIncentives, trade-offs and implementation features to note:\n\n- The document states a regulatory removal: an existing mandatory obligation has been cancelled (Source: \"Requirement: CANCELLED.\"). That change lowers the immediate compliance cost for affected operators and for any maintenance providers who previously performed work under the AD.\n- The stated reason is administrative relevance (\"No longer relevant...\") and linked to an organisational change (\"re-introduction of the AD Series after sixteen years\"), which is a textual justification in the record (Source: Background sentence). The document does not supply technical findings, risk assessments, or transitional instructions tied to the cancellation.\n- The decision was made by a CASA delegate; that identifies where decision-making discretion was exercised (Source: signature/date). The document itself does not describe further procedural steps for affected operators following the cancellation (for example, whether previously required inspections or modifications performed under the old AD remain recommended or mandatory under other rules).\n\nImplementation and compliance burdens:\n\n- Immediate compliance burden imposed by the cancelled AD is removed by this entry (Source: \"Requirement: CANCELLED.\").\n- The document does not state whether other regulatory requirements or alternative maintenance standards remain applicable; operators must therefore check other applicable CASA regulations or standards if uncertain (Source: absence of further instructions in the AD text).\n\nConcise summary:\n\n- Mechanically, this instrument cancels a prior mandatory airworthiness directive concerning swashplate scissors lever bolts on Bell 204 helicopters (\"Requirement: CANCELLED.\"). The CASA delegate authorised the cancellation and the action was gazetted (signature/date and Gazette notice). The stated reason is that the AD is no longer relevant following the re-introduction of the AD series after sixteen years (Background sentence). The practical effect is to remove that specific regulatory obligation from affected operators, shifting compliance costs and decisions back to operators and their maintenance providers unless other regulatory requirements apply."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a revocation instrument that narrows rather than expands scope — it removes a previous requirement entirely. The document serves its original limited purpose of cancelling an obsolete airworthiness directive."},"complexity_factors":["Document is a single-page cancellation notice with no operative provisions","Only substantive content is 'Requirement: CANCELLED' and brief background explanation","No defined terms, cross-references, or conditional logic","Extremely short — approximately 150 words of actual text","Administrative in nature rather than regulatory"],"plain_english_summary":"This document is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) — the Australian government body that regulates aviation safety.\n\n**What it does:**\nThis directive **cancels a previous safety requirement** that applied to Bell 204 series helicopters. Specifically, it revokes Airworthiness Directive AD/BELL 204/18, which originally concerned \"swashplate scissors lever bolts\" — mechanical components in the helicopter's rotor system.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Owners and operators of Bell 204 series helicopters\n- Maintenance engineers and organisations servicing these aircraft\n\n**Why it matters:**\nAirworthiness Directives are legally binding safety instructions. When an AD is cancelled, it means the previous safety requirement no longer applies — typically because the safety issue has been resolved, the original concern is no longer relevant, or better information has become available. In this case, the cancellation reflects administrative housekeeping after CASA reintroduced its AD system following a 16-year gap.\n\n**Key takeaway:** If you own or maintain a Bell 204 helicopter, you no longer need to comply with the specific inspection or maintenance requirements that AD/BELL 204/18 previously mandated for swashplate scissors lever bolts."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-bell-204-18-swashplate-scissors-lever-bolts","history":"/api/acts/ad-bell-204-18-swashplate-scissors-lever-bolts/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-bell-204-18-swashplate-scissors-lever-bolts/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-bell-204-18-swashplate-scissors-lever-bolts/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-bell-204-18-swashplate-scissors-lever-bolts/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-bell-204-18-swashplate-scissors-lever-bolts/documents"}}