{"id":"F2006B09064","name":"AD/DHC-3/16 - Flap Control Rod Sub-Assembly","slug":"ad-dhc-3-16-flap-control-rod-sub-assembly","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":52819,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B09064-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/DHC-3/16 - Flap Control Rod Sub-Assembly","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)  DHC-3 (Otter) Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/DHC-3/16 Flap Control Rod Sub-Assembly NK\n\nApplicability: All models with S/Nos 2 to 292.\n\n \n\nRequirement: Action in accordance with De H Canada EB “O” No 49.\n\n \n\nNote: Canadian AD 58-15 refers.\n\n \n\nCompliance: Forthwith.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"Based on the text of this AD, the scope is limited to DHC-3 (Otter) aeroplanes with serial numbers 2–292 and to the flap control rod sub-assembly, and it requires following De H Canada EB \"O\" No 49. The instrument does not indicate any change or expansion of scope beyond those serial numbers or components. (Applicability; Requirement)"},"complexity_factors":["The AD delegates technical detail to an external engineering bulletin (De H Canada EB \"O\" No 49) rather than setting out procedures in-line, requiring operators to obtain and interpret that document.","Immediate compliance requirement ('Forthwith') increases logistical and scheduling complexity for operators.","Narrow, serial-number-based applicability simplifies scope but requires operators to check serial-number records.","Cross-reference to a foreign AD (Canadian AD 58-15) introduces an additional external source to consult.","The AD is short and procedural; lack of procedural detail in the AD itself reduces textual complexity but shifts interpretive burden to external material."],"plain_english_summary":"# What this directive does (mechanical effect)\n\nThis airworthiness directive (AD/DHC-3/16) requires that operators of De Havilland Canada DHC-3 (Otter) aeroplanes with serial numbers 2 to 292 must carry out the actions specified in De H Canada Engineering Bulletin \"O\" No 49 relating to the flap control rod sub-assembly. (Requirement; Applicability)\n\n- Applicability: applies to all DHC-3 (Otter) aircraft with S/Nos 2–292. (Applicability)\n- Required action: perform the measures listed in De H Canada EB \"O\" No 49 concerning the flap control rod sub-assembly. The AD itself does not reproduce the steps; it mandates following that external document. (Requirement)\n- Timing: compliance is required forthwith — i.e. immediately on receipt. (Compliance)\n- Cross-reference: the AD notes a related Canadian airworthiness directive (Canadian AD 58-15). (Note)\n\nWho is directly affected\n\n- Aircraft owners and operators of DHC-3 Otter aircraft with the listed serial numbers. (Applicability)\n- Maintenance organisations and personnel who will carry out inspections, repairs or replacements prescribed in De H Canada EB \"O\" No 49. (Requirement)\n- Potential indirect effects on customers or clients of those aircraft if aircraft are grounded for the required work. (Compliance)\n\nWho pays and who decides\n\n- The financial cost (parts, labour, and aircraft downtime) will fall on the aircraft owner/operator because the AD requires them to have the specified work done. (Requirement; Applicability)\n- The specific technical decisions about how to comply are delegated to the instructions in De H Canada EB \"O\" No 49; the AD itself delegates procedural detail to that external engineering bulletin. (Requirement)\n\nIncentives, compliance burden and implementation risks\n\n- Incentives: operators are compelled to act immediately to maintain the aircraft’s airworthiness certificate and to meet regulatory requirements. (Compliance)\n- Compliance burden: the AD creates immediate scheduling pressure (forthwith compliance), potential labour and parts cost, and possible aircraft downtime while the flap control rod sub-assembly is inspected/rectified according to the referenced EB. (Compliance; Requirement)\n- Discretion: the AD gives little operational discretion in this instrument; it requires following the external EB rather than prescribing alternative steps in the AD text itself. (Requirement)\n- Implementation risk: the AD depends on an external document (De H Canada EB \"O\" No 49) for the prescriptive steps. If that external document is not readily available or is ambiguous, operators may face uncertainty about the exact technical actions required. The AD also points to a related Canadian AD, which operators may need to consult. (Requirement; Note)\n\nCosts, trade-offs and likely behavioural effects\n\n- Direct costs are concentrated on the listed aircraft owners/operators (inspection, repair/replacement, parts, labour, downtime). (Applicability; Requirement)\n- Benefits are concentrated on the same operators and their passengers through reduced risk of a flap control rod failure; the AD does not quantify those benefits in the text. (Requirement)\n- Trade-offs include aircraft out-of-service time and resource allocation to perform the mandated work rather than other maintenance or operations. (Compliance)\n- Substitution effects: operators may follow alternative approved repair procedures only if those are consistent with the referenced EB or separately approved by the regulator; the AD itself does not set out alternative options. (Requirement)\n\nPractical note on enforcement and follow-up\n\n- The AD requires immediate action but relies on the referenced engineering bulletin for technical compliance. Regulators enforce the AD; proof of compliance would consist of records showing the EB's steps were carried out. (Requirement; Compliance)\n\nSource citations (from the instrument): Applicability; Requirement; Note; Compliance."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a discrete, single-issue airworthiness directive addressing a specific mechanical component on a specific aircraft type. It represents the standard, narrow scope of individual ADs — addressing particular safety defects as they are identified. There is no indication of scope creep beyond the original safety purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (under 200 words)","Only one substantive requirement referencing an external technical document (De Havilland Canada EB \"O\" No. 49)","Simple applicability clause (serial number range)","No defined terms section","No nested conditional logic or exceptions","Single compliance deadline ('Forthwith' — immediate)","Minimal cross-referencing (one Canadian AD reference in a note only)"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** — essentially a mandatory safety order issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for specific aircraft.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Requires owners and operators of **De Havilland Canada DHC-3 (Otter) series aeroplanes** — specifically those with serial numbers 2 through 292 — to take immediate action on the **flap control rod sub-assembly**.\n- The required action follows instructions in **De Havilland Canada Engineering Bulletin \"O\" No. 49** (a technical notice from the aircraft manufacturer).\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Anyone who owns, operates, or maintains DHC-3 Otter aircraft in Australia with the specified serial numbers.\n\n**Why it matters:**\n- Flaps are the movable surfaces on aircraft wings that help control lift and speed during takeoff and landing. A problem with the flap control rod could affect flight safety.\n- The directive is marked **\"Forthwith\"** — meaning compliance is required **immediately**, not at the next scheduled maintenance.\n- The reference to **Canadian AD 58-15** indicates this Australian directive aligns with a similar safety order issued by Canadian aviation authorities, suggesting a known safety issue that regulators across multiple countries are addressing."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-16-flap-control-rod-sub-assembly","history":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-16-flap-control-rod-sub-assembly/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-16-flap-control-rod-sub-assembly/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-16-flap-control-rod-sub-assembly/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-16-flap-control-rod-sub-assembly/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-dhc-3-16-flap-control-rod-sub-assembly/documents"}}