{"id":"F2005L01060","name":"AD/EMB-120/37 - Flight Data Acquisition Unit","slug":"ad-emb-120-37-flight-data-acquisition-unit","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":34666,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2005L01060-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-01","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Embraer EMB-120 (Brasilia) Series Aeropl","sectionType":"division","heading":"Embraer EMB-120 (Brasilia) Series Aeroplanes","content":"### Embraer EMB-120 (Brasilia) Series Aeroplanes\n\n| AD/EMB-120/37 | Flight Data Acquisition Unit | 6/2005 |\n| ------------- | ---------------------------- | ------ |\n\n| Applicability: | EMB-120( ) aeroplanes that have incorporated Embraer Service Bulletin (SB) 120-31-0040, original issue dated 6 December 1999 or Revision 01 dated 17 July 2001.                                                                                                                                                                                               |\n| -------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |\n| Requirement:   | Swap wires at connector J1222 in accordance with Embraer SB 120-31-0040 Revision 02 dated 3 December 2004, or later revision approved by the Brazilian DAC.                                                                                                                                                                                                   |\n|                | Note: DAC (Brazil) AD 2005-04-01 refers.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |\n| Compliance:    | Within the next 500 hours time in service or 90 days after the effective date of this Directive, whichever occurs first.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                      |\n|                | This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 9 June 2005.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                |\n| Background:    | The Brazilian Departmento de Aviação (DAC) has advised that accomplishment of SB 120-31-0040 original issue or Revision 01 may not have allowed the correct recording of longitudinal acceleration parameter in the Flight data Recorder. This directive requires the swapping of wires in the J1222 connector to facilitate the recording of this parameter. |\n\n![](image.001.png)  \nJames Coyne  \nDelegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority\n\n27 April 2005","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"AD/EMB-120/37","sectionType":"part","heading":"AD/EMB-120/37","content":"## AD/EMB-120/37","sortOrder":1},{"sectionNumber":"Flight Data Acquisition Unit","sectionType":"part","heading":"Flight Data Acquisition Unit","content":"## Flight Data Acquisition Unit","sortOrder":2},{"sectionNumber":"6/2005","sectionType":"part","heading":"6/2005","content":"## 6/2005","sortOrder":3}],"analysis":{"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"},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The directive narrows regulatory effect to EMB‑120 aeroplanes that had incorporated SB 120-31-0040 original or Revision 01 and converts a corrective action into a mandatory AD requiring a wire swap per SB Revision 02 (Applicability; Requirement; Background). This changes scope from mere prior SB compliance to compulsory remediation for that subset of aircraft, imposing costs and scheduling obligations on affected operators (Compliance)."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow technical task (swap wires at connector J1222) — straightforward mechanic work (Requirement).","Limited applicability to aircraft that incorporated SB 120-31-0040 original or Revision 01 — operators must check maintenance history to confirm applicability (Applicability).","Mandatory compliance window creates scheduling and operational cost for operators: 500 flight hours or 90 days, whichever is first (Compliance).","Dependence on specific SB revision: action must follow Embraer SB 120-31-0040 Revision 02 or later approved by Brazilian DAC, introducing a foreign-authority approval dependency (Requirement).","Regulatory origin and effectivity are set by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (signed delegate) and include an effective date, so enforcement and record-keeping are regulated (effectivity/effective date and signature).","Root cause and justification rely on prior SB possibly failing to record longitudinal acceleration, requiring verification and possible repeat work where the earlier SB was applied (Background)."],"plain_english_summary":"This airworthiness directive orders operators of Embraer EMB‑120 aircraft that previously incorporated Service Bulletin 120‑31‑0040 (original issue or Revision 01) to swap wires at connector J1222 so the flight data recorder correctly logs longitudinal acceleration. It applies to the identified aircraft and must be done within 500 flight hours or 90 days; the measure responds to advice from the Brazilian DAC that earlier SB work may not have recorded that parameter correctly."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a standard, narrow airworthiness directive addressing a specific technical defect in a specific aircraft type. It has not expanded beyond its original safety purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (approximately 250 words)","Only 1 defined term implicitly referenced (DAC - Departamento de Aviação Civil, explained in note)","Single, straightforward compliance action (wire swap at specific connector)","Simple conditional applicability (only affects aircraft with specific prior service bulletin)","No nested exceptions or complex cross-referencing — only references one Brazilian AD and one Embraer SB","Clear, unambiguous deadline (500 hours or 90 days)"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** — a mandatory safety order issued by Australia's aviation regulator (CASA) for specific aircraft.\n\n**What it does:**\nOrders owners and operators of certain **Embraer EMB-120 \"Brasilia\" aircraft** to fix a wiring problem in the flight data system. Specifically, they must swap some wires at a connector called \"J1222\" to ensure the **Flight Data Recorder** (the \"black box\" that records flight information) correctly captures **longitudinal acceleration data** (whether the plane is speeding up or slowing down forward/backward).\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Owners and operators of EMB-120 aircraft that had a specific service bulletin (SB 120-31-0040) installed — either the original December 1999 version or the July 2001 revision.\n- Maintenance engineers who work on these aircraft.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThe earlier service bulletin versions didn't properly fix the wiring, meaning the flight data recorder might be missing critical acceleration data. This data is essential for accident investigations and monitoring aircraft performance. Without the fix, investigators might lack crucial information if something goes wrong.\n\n**What must be done:**\n- Swap the wires at connector J1222 following the instructions in Embraer Service Bulletin 120-31-0040 Revision 02 (dated 3 December 2004) or a later version approved by Brazilian aviation authorities.\n- Do this within **500 flight hours or 90 days** (whichever comes first) after the directive took effect on 9 June 2005.\n\n**Key point:** This is a **retroactive fix** — it corrects a problem with a previous repair that didn't work as intended."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-emb-120-37-flight-data-acquisition-unit","history":"/api/acts/ad-emb-120-37-flight-data-acquisition-unit/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-emb-120-37-flight-data-acquisition-unit/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-emb-120-37-flight-data-acquisition-unit/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-emb-120-37-flight-data-acquisition-unit/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-emb-120-37-flight-data-acquisition-unit/documents"}}