{"id":"F2006B11249","name":"AD/M20/44 - Baggage Door Inside Latch","slug":"ad-m20-44-baggage-door-inside-latch","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":56969,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B11249-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/M20/44 - Baggage Door Inside Latch","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)  Mooney M20 Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/M20/44 Baggage Door Inside Latch 2/89 DM\n\nApplicability: M20J S/No 24-0084, 24-0378 to 24-1645 and 24-3000 to 24-3056 M20K S/No 25-\n\n0001 to 25-1160.\n\n \n\nRequirement: Action in accordance with Mooney Aircraft Corporation SBM20-239.\n\n \n\nNote: FAA AD 88-25-11 refers.\n\n \n\nCompliance: Within 25 hours time in service after 11 January 1989.\n\n \n\nBackground: There have been reports overseas of in-flight opening of the baggage door, one of which involved fatalities.\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\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The directive’s scope is limited to the specific Mooney M20J and M20K serial numbers listed in the Applicability section and requires the actions set out in Mooney SBM20-239 within a fixed short timeframe (Applicability; Requirement; Compliance). The AD was issued in direct response to overseas reports of baggage door opening, including a fatality (Background), and there is no text within the instrument indicating the scope was broadened or narrowed from that stated purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow applicability limited to specific serial-number ranges for M20J and M20K aircraft (Applicability).","Requirement references an external manufacturer service bulletin (Mooney SBM20-239) rather than containing technical steps in the AD itself (Requirement).","Short mandatory compliance window of 25 hours time in service after a fixed date, increasing urgency for scheduling maintenance (Compliance).","Safety-critical nature of the issue (in-flight baggage door opening, including reported fatality) which raises potential operational and certification constraints (Background).","Cross-reference to an FAA AD, creating an international regulatory alignment consideration but not adding procedural detail (Note).","Enforcement by regulator leaves limited operational discretion to owners, but practical compliance depends on availability of parts, trained technicians and the content of the service bulletin."],"plain_english_summary":"### What this directive does\n\nThis airworthiness directive (AD) requires owners/operators of particular Mooney M20J and M20K aeroplanes to carry out the work described in Mooney Aircraft Corporation Service Bulletin SBM20-239. The AD sets a mandatory compliance window: the required action must be completed within 25 hours time in service after 11 January 1989. (See: Applicability; Requirement; Compliance.)\n\n### Who is affected\n\n- Owners and operators of the specific Mooney M20J and M20K aircraft listed by serial number in the Applicability section. (Applicability.)\n- Any maintenance organisations or technicians who perform the work called for in the Mooney service bulletin. (Requirement.)\n\n### Why it matters (official rationale)\n\nThe directive was issued in response to overseas reports of in-flight opening of the baggage door, including at least one incident that involved fatalities. The AD requires the Mooney-prescribed work in order to address that hazard. (Background.)\n\n### How it works, mechanically\n\n- The AD identifies the exact aircraft covered by serial number and makes compliance mandatory for those aircraft. (Applicability.)\n- It does not itself detail the technical steps; instead it directs compliance with the external Mooney Aircraft Corporation SBM20-239 service bulletin, which contains the instructions for inspection, modification or repair. Operators must follow that bulletin. (Requirement.)\n- The AD establishes a short compliance deadline: the work must be done within 25 hours time in service after 11 January 1989. Until the work is done, affected aircraft remain subject to the AD’s requirement. (Compliance.)\n- The AD cross-references a related FAA airworthiness directive (FAA AD 88-25-11). This signals alignment with the FAA’s corresponding action but the AD itself mandates compliance by the listed Australian-registered aircraft. (Note.)\n\n### Who pays and who decides\n\n- Owners or operators of the affected aircraft bear the direct costs: parts, labour, and any aircraft downtime needed to complete the Mooney service bulletin tasks. (Applicability; Requirement; Compliance.)\n- The Civil Aviation Safety Authority issued the AD and thereby determines that compliance is mandatory; operators must schedule and complete the required work to meet the AD. (Header; Requirement; Compliance.)\n\n### Compliance burden, incentives and practical trade-offs\n\n- Compliance burden is concentrated on the owners/operators of the specific serial-numbered aircraft: they must arrange and pay for the work within a short regulatory window. (Applicability; Compliance.)\n- Because the AD delegates technical detail to an external service bulletin, operators must obtain and rely on that bulletin for the precise technical steps; this creates an implementation dependency on the manufacturer’s instructions. (Requirement.)\n- The short 25-hour time-in-service window increases urgency and may force near-term maintenance scheduling that can cause downtime or operational disruption. (Compliance.)\n- The intended benefit for those who comply is a reduction in the risk of in-flight baggage door opening; the directive cites a fatal incident as part of the justification. The AD does not itself quantify costs or alternatives. (Background.)\n\n### Enforcement and discretion\n\n- The AD is prescriptive: it mandates action within a set timeframe and references the specific service bulletin to be followed. Individual operators have limited discretion other than choosing when (within the deadline) and by whom the prescribed work is carried out. (Requirement; Compliance.)\n\n### Concrete risks and implementation points to note\n\n- The AD provides only the high-level regulatory obligation and relies on the external SBM20-239 for technical detail, so the quality and clarity of that service bulletin will materially affect how easily operators can comply. (Requirement.)\n- Cross-reference to FAA AD 88-25-11 indicates related international regulatory action but does not alter the AD’s applicability or the required Australian compliance timetable. (Note.)"},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a discrete, targeted safety directive addressing a specific mechanical defect in specific aircraft. It has not expanded beyond its original purpose of mandating a baggage door latch fix."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short document (under 200 words)","Only 2 defined applicability ranges (serial number lists)","Single requirement referencing external technical document (manufacturer's service bulletin)","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions","Simple compliance deadline (25 hours time in service after fixed date)","No cross-references to other legislation beyond optional FAA reference note"],"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:**\nOrders owners and operators of certain **Mooney M20J and M20K aeroplanes** to fix a dangerous design flaw with the baggage door inside latch. The fix must follow specific instructions from the manufacturer (Mooney Aircraft Corporation Service Bulletin M20-239).\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Owners and operators of specific Mooney aircraft with these serial numbers:\n  - **M20J models:** Serial numbers 24-0084, 24-0378 through 24-1645, and 24-3000 through 24-3056\n  - **M20K models:** Serial numbers 25-0001 through 25-1160\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThere have been overseas reports of these baggage doors opening during flight. One incident caused deaths. This directive prevents that catastrophic failure by requiring a mandatory safety modification.\n\n**When it had to be done:**\nWithin 25 hours of flying time after 11 January 1989 (this is a historical directive from 1989).\n\n**Key point:** This references an American FAA directive (88-25-11), showing how Australian aviation safety often aligns with international standards."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-m20-44-baggage-door-inside-latch","history":"/api/acts/ad-m20-44-baggage-door-inside-latch/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-m20-44-baggage-door-inside-latch/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-m20-44-baggage-door-inside-latch/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-m20-44-baggage-door-inside-latch/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-m20-44-baggage-door-inside-latch/documents"}}