{"id":"F2006B04621","name":"AD/BELL 222/6 Amdt 1 - Directional Hydraulic Actuator P/N 222-382-002-101","slug":"ad-bell-222-6-amdt-1-directional-hydraulic-actuator-p-n-222-382-002-101","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":44373,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B04621-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/BELL 222/6 Amdt 1 - Directional Hydraulic Actuator P/N 222-382-002-101","content":"COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 \\- 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY\n\nSCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES\n\n![](image.001.png)  \nBell Helicopter Textron Canada (BHTC) 222 Series Helicopters\n\nAD/BELL 222/6\n\nAmdt 1\n\n  \n\nDirectional Hydraulic Actuator P/N 222-382-002-101\n\n  \n4/87\n\nApplicability: All model 222 helicopters with serial numbers 47008 to 47089. All model 222B helicopters with serial numbers 47131 to 47148\\. All model 222U helicopters with serial numbers 47501 to 47555.\n\nRequirement: Action in accordance with either:\n\nModel 222 and 222B helicopters: Bell Alert Service Bulletin 222-85-32 Rev A. Model 222U helicopters: Bell Alert Service Bulletin 222U-85-7 Rev A.\n\nCompliance: Before issue of Certificate of Airworthiness.\n\nBackground: While hover taxying, a model 222U experienced loss of directional control when tail rotor control was lost due to the rod end bearing pulling out of the hydraulic actuator piston rod. This Directive has been amended to extend the aircraft serial Nos. affected.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is Amendment 1 to an existing Airworthiness Directive. The amendment modestly expands the serial number ranges of affected aircraft but does not alter the fundamental scope or purpose of the original directive. It remains a targeted safety fix for a specific mechanical component."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (under 300 words)","Only 3 defined applicability categories (by model and serial number)","Simple binary compliance requirement (follow Service Bulletin A or B)","No nested exceptions or conditional logic","Single background incident cited","No cross-references to other legislation beyond generic Civil Aviation Regulations 1998"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** — essentially a mandatory safety order for aircraft owners and operators.\n\n**What it does:**\nOrders owners of specific Bell 222 series helicopters to inspect or replace a faulty **directional hydraulic actuator** (a component that helps control the tail rotor) before the aircraft can be certified as airworthy.\n\n**Who it affects:**\nOwners and operators of Bell 222, 222B, and 222U helicopters with specific serial numbers (roughly 1980s-era aircraft). This amendment expands the list of affected serial numbers beyond the original directive.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nA helicopter lost tail rotor control during ground manoeuvring when a bearing pulled out of this actuator. Loss of tail rotor control can cause the aircraft to spin uncontrollably. This directive prevents that catastrophic failure by mandating fixes outlined in Bell's service bulletins before the aircraft can fly legally.\n\n**What must be done:**\nOperators must follow specific Bell Alert Service Bulletins (technical repair instructions) depending on their helicopter model — either Bulletin 222-85-32 or 222U-85-7 — before obtaining a Certificate of Airworthiness."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The AD text explicitly states it has been amended to extend the aircraft serial numbers affected, meaning the set of helicopters subject to the directive has expanded from the prior issuance (Background)."},"complexity_factors":["Need to cross-reference external manufacturer documents (Bell Alert Service Bulletins) for the technical steps (Requirement).","Model-specific requirements: different service bulletin numbers for 222/222B versus 222U (Requirement).","Timing constraint tied to regulatory approval (compliance before Certificate of Airworthiness) which creates operational scheduling pressure (Compliance).","Limited textual detail in the AD itself—technical content is delegated to the service bulletins, increasing reliance on those documents for implementation (Requirement).","Narrow applicability defined by serial-number ranges, requiring precise operator record checks (Applicability)."],"plain_english_summary":"What this instrument does (mechanically)\n\n- This is an Airworthiness Directive (AD) that requires owners/operators of specified Bell 222-series helicopters to carry out the corrective actions described in Bell Alert Service Bulletins before a Certificate of Airworthiness (CoA) can be issued (Requirement; Compliance).\n- The directive applies to particular serial number ranges for model 222, 222B and 222U helicopters (Applicability).\n- The AD is an amendment tied to the directional hydraulic actuator part number 222-382-002-101; it was amended to extend the serial numbers covered after an incident where a rod end bearing pulled out of the actuator piston rod, causing loss of tail-rotor directional control during hover taxiing (Background).\n\nWho it affects\n\n- Owners, operators, and maintenance providers for the listed Bell 222, 222B and 222U helicopters with the specified serial numbers (Applicability).\n- The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) enforces the AD by requiring compliance before issuing a Certificate of Airworthiness (Compliance).\n\nWhy it matters (official purpose claim and practical implications)\n\n- Officially, the AD aims to prevent recurrence of the failure that led to loss of directional control by requiring the inspections/repairs/modifications described in the manufacturer’s alert service bulletins (Background; Requirement).\n\nPractical costs, incentives and trade-offs\n\n- Who pays: The owner/operator must arrange and pay for the work required by the cited Bell Alert Service Bulletins (Requirement). The AD itself does not fund or supply parts.\n- Timing and operational impact: Compliance is required before issue of a Certificate of Airworthiness, which gives CASA a clear leverage point to ground or withhold registration/airworthiness until compliance (Compliance). That can impose downtime and scheduling costs for operators.\n- Compliance burden and discretion: The AD does not itself set out the detailed technical steps; it mandates compliance with the referenced Bell Alert Service Bulletins (Requirement). This delegates the technical specification to the manufacturer’s documents and leaves CASA to enforce that compliance; operators must therefore follow those external documents as the means of meeting the AD.\n- Substitution and alternatives: The AD requires actions “in accordance with” the named service bulletins for each model (Requirement). It does not list alternate procedures or parts in the AD text itself; if alternatives are to be used, they would need to be approved through the normal approval channels (not specified in this AD text).\n- Implementation risk: Effective remediation depends on the clarity, availability and achievability of the procedures in the referenced service bulletins and on availability of any required parts. If parts or technical support are scarce, operators may face delays in obtaining a CoA (Requirement; Compliance).\n- Concentration of benefits and diffusion of costs: The safety benefit accrues to all who operate or share airspace with these helicopters, while the direct costs (parts, labour, downtime) are borne by the relatively small group of affected operators (Applicability).\n\nConcrete behavioural change required\n\n- Operators must have the corrective action specified in Bell Alert Service Bulletin 222-85-32 Rev A (for models 222 and 222B) or Bell Alert Service Bulletin 222U-85-7 Rev A (for model 222U) completed for each affected helicopter before the aircraft is issued a Certificate of Airworthiness (Requirement; Compliance).\n\nSource citations\n\n- Applicability: lists the affected models and serial numbers.\n- Requirement: mandates action in accordance with the specified Bell Alert Service Bulletins.\n- Compliance: requires completion before issue of Certificate of Airworthiness.\n- Background: describes the incident motivating the AD and states that this Directive was amended to extend the serial numbers affected."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-bell-222-6-amdt-1-directional-hydraulic-actuator-p-n-222-382-002-101","history":"/api/acts/ad-bell-222-6-amdt-1-directional-hydraulic-actuator-p-n-222-382-002-101/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-bell-222-6-amdt-1-directional-hydraulic-actuator-p-n-222-382-002-101/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-bell-222-6-amdt-1-directional-hydraulic-actuator-p-n-222-382-002-101/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-bell-222-6-amdt-1-directional-hydraulic-actuator-p-n-222-382-002-101/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-bell-222-6-amdt-1-directional-hydraulic-actuator-p-n-222-382-002-101/documents"}}