{"id":"F2006B10851","name":"AD/INST/47 Amdt 1 - KC 225 AFCS","slug":"ad-inst-47-amdt-1-kc-225-afcs","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":56344,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B10851-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"Instruments and Automatic Pilots","sectionType":"part","heading":"Instruments and Automatic Pilots","content":"# Instruments and Automatic Pilots\n\nAD/INST/47 Amdt 1 (Continued)\n\nRequirement: 1. Inspect the KC 225 AFCS in accordance with Honeywell Installation Bulletin (IB) 472 Alert, Revision 1, dated January 2001, to determine the currently installed computer modifications (Mods).\n\n    2. If the Requirement 1 inspection determines that only Mods 1 and/or 2 are incorporated, accomplish the following in accordance with IB 472 Alert, Revision 1:\n\n    Deactivate the KC 225 AFCS by pulling and banding the autopilot circuit breaker(s) to prevent operation of the KC 225 AFCS in flight; and\n\n    b. Fabricate a placard that indicates the KC 225 AFCS is inoperative and install this placard on the instrument panel within the pilot’s clear view. The placard should use letters of at least 2.5 mm (0.10 inches) in height and contain the following words:","sortOrder":0},{"sectionNumber":"\"KC 225 AFCS INOPERATIVE\"","sectionType":"part","heading":"\"KC 225 AFCS INOPERATIVE\"","content":"# \"KC 225 AFCS INOPERATIVE\"\n\nAn optional alternative to the deactivation of the AFCS with only Mods 1 and/or 2 installed is to either:\n\nReturn the AFCS to the Honeywell Service Center for modification to install Mod 1, 2 and 3 (or higher); or\n\nContact Honeywell Product Support for a warranty replacement KC 225 AFCS that contains Mod 1, 2 and 3 (or higher) levels.\n\nNote 2: If either of the optional alternates is adopted, the AFCS must remain deactivated and placarded in accordance with Requirement 2 until an AFCS unit with at least Mods 1, 2 and 3 is installed.\n\n    3. If the Requirement 1 inspection determines that no Mods are installed or at least Mods 1, 2, and 3 are installed, ensure that the aircraft records identify AFCS Mod status in accordance with IB 472 Alert, Revision 1. This Directive requires no further action.\n\nNote 3: FAA AD 2001-10-09 Amdt 39-12235 refers.\n\nCompliance: For Requirement 1 - Remains unchanged as ‘Within the next 10 hours time-in-service after the effective date of the original issue of the Directive’.\n\nFor Requirement 2 - Remains unchanged as ‘Before further flight after the Requirement 1 inspection’.\n\nFor Requirement 3 - Remains unchanged as ‘Before further flight after the Requirement 1 inspection’.","sortOrder":1}],"analysis":{"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is Amendment 1 to an existing directive. The amendment explicitly states it only corrects the title of the directive. The substantive safety requirements remain identical to the original issue dated 15 June 2001. No expansion of scope has occurred."},"complexity_factors":["Short, single-purpose directive (approximately 500 words)","Only 3 main requirements with clear conditional logic (if/then structure)","Minimal defined terms (only 'Mods' requires technical knowledge)","Single cross-reference to FAA AD 2001-10-09 for background context","Straightforward compliance deadlines ('within 10 hours', 'before further flight')","No nested exceptions or sub-delegations of legislative power"],"plain_english_summary":"This AD requires operators of aircraft fitted with Honeywell KC 225 AFCS autopilots to inspect the unit promptly and, if only early Mods (1 or 2) are present, render the autopilot inoperative, placard the panel, or replace/upgrade to a Mod 3+ unit before use. It targets a fault where the autopilot can disconnect without warning in extreme out‑of‑trim conditions, risking loss of control. This amendment only corrects a title typo."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This amendment corrects the title of the Directive only; the substantive requirements (inspection, deactivation/placarding for units with only Mod 1 and/or 2, alternatives to return to Honeywell or get warranty replacement, and recordkeeping when no action is needed) remain unchanged from the original issue. Therefore the scope of regulatory intervention did not expand beyond the original safety-focused purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Three clear conditional branches (Requirement 1 inspection leads to one of three outcomes in Requirements 2 or 3).","Cross-reference to an external manufacturer document: Honeywell Installation Bulletin (IB) 472 Alert, Revision 1 (inspection and recordkeeping procedures are delegated to that document).","Two optional compliance alternatives (return to Honeywell Service Center for modification OR warranty replacement) with a requirement that AFCS remain deactivated until upgraded (Note 2).","Short, specific compliance deadlines (inspection within 10 hours TIS; actions before further flight) increasing operational urgency.","Minimal defined-term complexity within the text itself (no long definitions section), but dependency on external documents increases practical complexity."],"plain_english_summary":"**What this instrument does (mechanical effects)\n\n- Requires an inspection of the Honeywell KC 225 Automatic Flight Control System (AFCS) to determine which computer modification levels (\"Mods\") are installed (Requirement 1).\n- If the inspection shows the AFCS has only Mod 1 and/or Mod 2 installed, the AFCS must be deactivated immediately and a placard installed in the pilot's clear view stating \"KC 225 AFCS INOPERATIVE\" (Requirement 2). The AFCS is to be made inoperative by pulling and banding the autopilot circuit breaker(s).\n- Two alternatives are allowed instead of continued deactivation: (a) return the unit to a Honeywell Service Center for modification to include Mod 3 (or higher), or (b) obtain a warranty replacement AFCS that already contains Mod 3 (or higher). If either alternative is chosen, the AFCS must remain deactivated and placarded until the Mod 3 (or higher) unit is installed (Note 2).\n- If the inspection shows either no Mods or that Mods 1, 2 and 3 (or higher) are present, the only required step is to record the AFCS Mod status in the aircraft records as specified in Honeywell IB 472 Alert, Revision 1; no further action is required (Requirement 3).\n- Deadlines: the inspection must be done within the next 10 hours time-in-service after the original Directive’s effective date; if deactivation or recordation is required, those steps must be completed before the next flight.\n\n**Who this affects**\n\n- Aircraft operators and owners of aeroplanes equipped with the Honeywell KC 225 AFCS.\n- Maintenance organisations and personnel who perform AFCS inspections, deactivations, placarding and installations.\n- Honeywell and its service centres, if operators choose the modification or warranty-replacement options.\n\n**Why it matters (stated safety rationale and practical implications)\n\n- Stated safety reason: reports indicated the KC 225 AFCS could disconnect unexpectedly while commanding a large (gross) trim change; that could cause the aeroplane to deviate from selected altitude or produce heavy control forces in pitch that might lead to loss of control. The inspection and deactivation/upgrade steps are designed to prevent an \"undesirable autotrim command\" that the autopilot cannot detect quickly enough (Background).\n\n**Costs, incentives and trade-offs (implementation-focused analysis)\n\n- Who pays: aircraft operators bear inspection costs, possible downtime, and the cost of repair/replacement if they choose to upgrade to Mod 3 (Requirement 2 / Note 2).\n- Operational trade-off: operators can either accept temporary loss of AFCS functionality (by deactivating and placarding the system, which may reduce automation and increase pilot workload) or incur time, transport and repair/replacement costs to restore an AFCS with Mod 3 or higher (Requirement 2; Note 2).\n- Effect on maintenance providers and OEM: the Directive explicitly mentions returning units to a Honeywell Service Center for the Mod 3 modification, or contacting Honeywell for a warranty replacement (Requirement 2 alternatives). That channels demand toward Honeywell service facilities for the modification option; the text therefore creates a practical dependency on the OEM if operators choose to restore full AFCS capability.\n- Compliance burden: short inspection deadline (within 10 hours TIS) and immediate grounding for AFCS-equipped aircraft that only have Mods 1 and/or 2 until deactivation/placarding is done and until a Mod 3 (or higher) unit is installed if the operator wants the AFCS functional again (Compliance lines; Requirement 2; Note 2). Recordkeeping is required if no action is otherwise needed (Requirement 3).\n- Implementation risk and verification: accurate determination of installed Mod level is critical. The Directive cross-references Honeywell IB 472 Alert, Revision 1 for inspection and recordkeeping procedures, which allocates some interpretive reliance to that manufacturer document (Requirement 1; Requirement 3).\n- Substitution effects: operators may choose to continue operating with the AFCS deactivated (increasing pilot workload) rather than pay for OEM modification or replacement. That reduces immediate cost but shifts risk and operational burden onto the flight crew.\n\n**Other practical details to note**\n\n- The placard specification requires lettering at least 2.5 mm (0.10 inches) high and the precise wording \"KC 225 AFCS INOPERATIVE\" (Requirement 2).\n- The Directive refers to the FAA AD 2001-10-09 Amdt 39-12235 and relies on Honeywell IB 472 Alert, Revision 1 for inspection and record-keeping specifics (Note 3 and cross-references).\n\n**Net effect (plain sentence)**\n\nThe Directive forces operators to inspect KC 225 AFCS installations quickly, to take units with only Mod 1 and/or 2 out of service (with a visible placard) until they are upgraded or replaced with units containing Mod 3 or higher, and to record Mod status where no action is required (Requirements 1–3). The stated purpose is to remove AFCS units that might unexpectedly command a harmful trim change; this imposes inspection, possible downtime and repair/replacement costs on operators and steers modification work toward Honeywell service channels if operators choose to restore AFCS functionality."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-inst-47-amdt-1-kc-225-afcs","history":"/api/acts/ad-inst-47-amdt-1-kc-225-afcs/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-inst-47-amdt-1-kc-225-afcs/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-inst-47-amdt-1-kc-225-afcs/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-inst-47-amdt-1-kc-225-afcs/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-inst-47-amdt-1-kc-225-afcs/documents"}}