{"id":"F2006B08809","name":"AD/DC3/33 - Supplemental Inspection Program","slug":"ad-dc3-33-supplemental-inspection-program","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":52186,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B08809-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/DC3/33 - Supplemental Inspection Program","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)  Douglas DC3 Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/DC3/33 Supplemental Inspection Program 7/94\n\nApplicability: All Models.\n\n \n\nRequirement:  Incorporate the inspection program outlined in McDonnell Douglas Report L26-013, “DC-3 Supplemental Inspection Document” (SID), into the maintenance schedule for the aircraft.\n\n \n\nCompliance: Incorporate the SID inspection program before 26 May 1995.\n\n \n\nBackground: McDonnell Douglas Aircraft Corporation has produced a supplemental inspection program to ensure the continued safety of older DC-3 aircraft. This Airworthiness Directive mandates the application of the inspection program to Australian registered aircraft.\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 \n\n \n\n \n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This Airworthiness Directive maintains its original narrow scope: mandating specific supplemental inspections for DC-3 aircraft. It has not expanded beyond this single aircraft type and single safety measure."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (approximately 150 words of substantive content)","Only 4 defined structural elements: Applicability, Requirement, Compliance, and Background","No cross-references to other legislation or regulations beyond the parent Civil Aviation Regulations 1988","Single, unambiguous mandate with clear deadline","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","Refers to external technical document (McDonnell Douglas Report L26-013) but does not reproduce its contents"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this is:** This is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** — a mandatory safety order issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). Think of it as a recall notice, but for aircraft maintenance rather than consumer products.\n\n**What it does:** It requires all owners and operators of **Douglas DC-3 aircraft** (the famous \"Dakota\" planes from the 1930s-40s) to add a specific set of extra safety inspections to their regular maintenance routine. These inspections come from a technical document called the \"DC-3 Supplemental Inspection Document\" (SID) produced by the original manufacturer, McDonnell Douglas.\n\n**Who it affects:** Anyone who owns, operates, or maintains a DC-3 aircraft registered in Australia. This includes vintage aircraft operators, museums, and any commercial operators still flying these historic planes.\n\n**Why it matters:** The DC-3 is an elderly aircraft design (first flown in 1935). As these planes age, metal fatigue and wear become serious safety risks. This directive ensures Australian DC-3s undergo enhanced structural inspections to catch potential failures before they cause accidents. The deadline for compliance was **26 May 1995**.\n\n**Key takeaway:** If you fly or maintain a DC-3 in Australia, you must follow this extra inspection program to keep the aircraft airworthy."},"summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":1,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The instrument is presented as originally issued with no amendments or repeals shown."},"complexity_factors":["Single requirement to adopt a published inspection document","Applies to a limited and well-defined vintage aircraft fleet","Compliance deadline long past; ongoing integration into approved maintenance","Prescriptive and non‑technical for the end user"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an Australian Airworthiness Directive (AD/DC3/33) issued in July 1994 by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority. It applies to all models of Douglas DC3 series aeroplanes on the Australian register.\n\nWhat it does: The directive requires the owner or operator to add the Supplemental Inspection Program (SID) published by McDonnell Douglas in Report L26-013 to the aircraft’s approved maintenance schedule. This program contains detailed inspections to detect age-related structural fatigue, corrosion and cracking in the airframe.\n\nWho it affects: Any person or organisation responsible for the continuing airworthiness of an Australian-registered DC3. At the time of issue, this included commercial operators, private owners and maintenance providers.\n\nPractical point: The compliance deadline was 26 May 1995. Because this directive is now decades old, the SID inspections should already be embedded in the aircraft’s routine maintenance. If you are researching this AD today, you are likely confirming its current status: check CASA’s Airworthiness Directive database to see if it has been superseded or remains in force. For a DC3 that has been out of service, this AD will need to be addressed before a return to flight.\n\nIn summary, this is a mandatory ongoing inspection program designed to keep older DC3 aircraft structurally safe."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The directive requires incorporation of the SID into maintenance schedules for Australian-registered DC‑3s, which aligns with the stated background purpose of ensuring continued safety of older DC‑3 aircraft. The textual scope in the instrument (applicability to all models, mandatory incorporation, and the compliance date) matches that stated purpose and does not indicate a change of scope from the directive’s expressed intent (Applicability; Requirement; Background; Compliance)."},"complexity_factors":["References an external technical document (McDonnell Douglas Report L26‑013) required to be obtained and applied (Requirement).","Fixed compliance date that creates scheduling pressure for operators (Compliance).","Applicability to all DC‑3 models increases the number of affected operators but does not differentiate by variant (Applicability).","Operational and administrative tasks: updating maintenance schedules, training, inspections, record-keeping and possible repair work (Requirement).","Enforcement and regulatory integration: directive fits into airworthiness directive enforcement processes, requiring regulator oversight (directive header)."],"plain_english_summary":"This Airworthiness Directive requires Australian-registered Douglas DC‑3 operators to add McDonnell Douglas Report L26‑013 (“DC‑3 Supplemental Inspection Document”) to each aircraft’s formal maintenance schedule by 26 May 1995. Issued by CASA, it makes the SID mandatory—improving inspection coverage for ageing DC‑3s while imposing additional inspection costs, scheduling burdens and reduced choice over inspection regimes."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-dc3-33-supplemental-inspection-program","history":"/api/acts/ad-dc3-33-supplemental-inspection-program/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-dc3-33-supplemental-inspection-program/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-dc3-33-supplemental-inspection-program/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-dc3-33-supplemental-inspection-program/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-dc3-33-supplemental-inspection-program/documents"}}