{"id":"F2015L00109","name":"AD/DH 83/6 - Inspection of Wooden Structure","slug":"ad-dh-83-6-inspection-of-wooden-structure","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":92681,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2015L00109-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"de Havilland DH 83 (Fox Moth) Series Aer","sectionType":"division","heading":"de Havilland DH 83 (Fox Moth) Series Aeroplanes","content":"### de Havilland DH 83 (Fox Moth) Series Aeroplanes\n\n| AD/DH 83/6 | Inspection of Wooden Structure | 3/2015 |\n| ---------- | ------------------------------ | ------ |\n\n| Applicability: | This AD applies to all variants of DH 83 aircraft. |\n| -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Definitions: | In this AD:DHSL means de Havilland Support Ltd.TNS means DHSL Technical News Sheet CT (Moth) No. 32, Issue 3, dated 1 December 2008. |\n| Requirement: | For all aircraft:1. Unless previously accomplished:(a) install all inspection rings and drainage provisions in accordance with the provisions of Figure 3 of Appendix G of the TNS;(b) gain access to the internal structure by removing all ‘pop-in’ panels, or otherwise cut away the fabric from inside inspection rings to facilitate access to the entire internal wooden structure;(c) perform a detailed inspection of the internal wooden structure in accordance with the inspection criteria provided at Appendix B, paragraph 6 ‘Inspection Content’ and take into consideration Appendix F, page F17, paragraph 2 ‘DH83 Fox Moth Wooden Structure – Areas for Specific Inspections’ of the TNS;(d) remove all unserviceable wooden structure from service, or conduct repairs in accordance with approved data.2. Report all defects discovered to CASA via the Service Difficulty Reporting System. |\n| Compliance: | 1. The actions in Requirement 1 must be taken:(a) for aircraft used for commercial purposes as prescribed in regulation 206 of the Civil Aviation Regulations 1988 (CAR 1988) – within two months of the effective date of this AD;(b) for all other aircraft – by the end of 31 December 2015. |\n| | The actions in Requirement 1 must be repeated at the earlier of the following:(i) every 200 hours;(ii) within 36 months of the previous inspection;(iii) in the event of a ground strike, birdstrike or any other wing strike of sufficient magnitude to leave witness marks on the fabric covering, or otherwise obvious damage to a wing. In the case of such an event, both the top and bottom wings are to be inspected on the side of the aircraft where the impact occurred.2. The action in Requirement 2 must be taken in accordance with Part 4B – Defect Reporting of CAR 1988. |\n| | The effective date of this AD is 6 February 2015. |\n| Background: | This AD will mandate the requirement to conduct visual inspections of the entire internal wooden structure of the aircraft’s flying surfaces to ensure the continued airworthiness of all variants of DH 83 aircraft. |\n\n![](image.001.png) \nNicholas Ward \nDelegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority\n\n2 February 2015","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"AD/DH 83/6","sectionType":"part","heading":"AD/DH 83/6","content":"## AD/DH 83/6","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"Inspection of Wooden Structure","sectionType":"part","heading":"Inspection of Wooden Structure","content":"## Inspection of Wooden Structure","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"3/2015","sectionType":"part","heading":"3/2015","content":"## 3/2015","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":5,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The AD mandates inspections and related actions for all DH 83 variants. The text does not identify any narrowing or broadening relative to an earlier scope; it establishes mandatory procedures, timelines and reporting for the full fleet without indicating a change from prior intent."},"complexity_factors":["Applicability to all DH 83 variants (Applicability) expands affected population and administrative reach.","Reliance on external technical material: DHSL Technical News Sheet CT (Moth) No. 32, Issue 3, and its appendices for inspection detail and figures (Definitions; Requirement 1(c), Figure 3 of Appendix G).","Multiple physical tasks with technical skill: installing inspection rings/drainage, removing panels or cutting fabric, detailed internal wooden-structure inspection (Requirement 1(a)–(c)).","Repair/removal standard linked to 'approved data'—requires conformity to accepted repair documentation and possible engineering sign-off (Requirement 1(d)).","Recurring inspection triggers and intervals: repeat at the earlier of every 200 hours, within 36 months, or after specified strike events; both time- and usage-based compliance (Compliance).","Different initial compliance deadlines for commercial operators versus other operators introduces tiered timing (Compliance).","Mandatory defect reporting to CASA via the Service Difficulty Reporting System and referencing Part 4B of CAR 1988 creates regulatory reporting obligations (Requirement 2; Compliance).","Operational impact: inspections and any repairs may cause downtime and direct costs to owners/operators; scheduling and access method choices affect service disruption (Requirement 1(b)).","Judgement and inspection interpretation required: inspection content and 'areas for specific inspections' are in TNS appendices, creating dependence on assessor judgement and potential variance between inspectors (Requirement 1(c))."],"plain_english_summary":"This Airworthiness Directive requires owners and operators of all de Havilland DH 83 (Fox Moth) aircraft to expose and inspect the internal wooden structure of flying surfaces, install inspection rings/drainage if missing, remove or repair unserviceable wood, and report defects to CASA. Work must be completed within set deadlines (earlier for commercial operators), repeated every 200 flight hours or 36 months or after a wing strike, and repairs must use approved data; owners/operators bear the costs and schedule compliance under CASA’s mandate."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This AD maintains its original narrow scope. It was issued specifically to address wooden structural integrity in DH 83 aircraft and has not expanded beyond that original safety purpose. The requirements remain tightly focused on inspection and reporting for this specific aircraft type."},"complexity_factors":["Only 2 defined terms (DHSL and TNS)","Single technical reference document (TNS) with specific page/paragraph citations","Straightforward conditional logic: two compliance pathways (commercial vs non-commercial) with clear deadlines","Simple recurring trigger structure (hours OR time OR event-based)","No nested exceptions or complex cross-referencing to other legislation beyond basic CAR 1988 references","Length is very short (approximately 400 words of substantive content)","Single subject matter focus (wooden structure inspection only)"],"plain_english_summary":"This AD mandates owners/operators of de Havilland DH 83 Fox Moth aircraft in Australia to inspect internal wooden wing and flying-surface structure for rot, damage or deterioration. It requires access provisions (inspection rings/drainage or fabric removal), detailed inspections to technical guidance, repair or replacement of defective wood, and reporting to CASA. Inspections must be repeated every 200 flight hours or every 3 years (or after any wing strike). It addresses hidden aging-related structural failure risks."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"A positive credit balance is required for all requests, including BYOK, so fallback providers remain available. Add credits at https://vercel.com/d?to=%2F%5Bteam%5D%2F%7E%2Fai%3Fmodal%3Dtop-up to continue.","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-dh-83-6-inspection-of-wooden-structure","history":"/api/acts/ad-dh-83-6-inspection-of-wooden-structure/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-dh-83-6-inspection-of-wooden-structure/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-dh-83-6-inspection-of-wooden-structure/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-dh-83-6-inspection-of-wooden-structure/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-dh-83-6-inspection-of-wooden-structure/documents"}}