{"id":"F2006B11300","name":"AD/ML-M5/3 - Horizontal Tail to Fuselage Front Attach Tubes - Inspection and Modification","slug":"ad-ml-m5-3-horizontal-tail-to-fuselage-front-attach-tubes-inspection-and-modification","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":57130,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B11300-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/ML-M5/3 - Horizontal Tail to Fuselage Front Attach Tubes - Inspection and Modification","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)  Maule M-5 Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/ML-M5/3 Horizontal Tail to Fuselage Front Attach\n\nTubes - Inspection and Modification\n\n\n3/80\n\n \n\nApplicability: All M-5 series with S/Nos. as referenced in Maule Aircraft Corporation SB No. 1. Document:               Maule Aircraft Corporation SB No. 1.\n\nCompliance: Unless already accomplished, within 100 hours time in service after 31 October 1979.\n\n \n\nBackground:  There is a possibility that the fuselage tube attaching the front attach point of the horizontal tail may be cracked.\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\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a vintage 1980 airworthiness directive that remains tightly scoped to its original purpose: addressing a specific structural defect in a particular aircraft model. No evidence of scope creep."},"complexity_factors":["Single, specific mechanical issue (one part on one aircraft series)","No defined terms section — uses plain language and references external technical document","Simple conditional structure: 'unless already accomplished' is the only exception","Single cross-reference to external manufacturer document (Service Bulletin No. 1)","Very short — approximately 150 words of substantive content","Clear applicability criteria (aircraft model and serial numbers)","Single compliance deadline with straightforward calculation method (flight hours)"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** — a mandatory safety order issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) for aircraft.\n\n**What it does:**\nOrders owners and operators of **Maule M-5 series aeroplanes** to inspect and modify a specific part: the metal tubes that connect the horizontal tail (the small wings at the back of the plane) to the main body of the aircraft (fuselage) at the front attachment point.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThe manufacturer discovered these tubes could develop **cracks**. If a crack goes undetected, the tail could fail in flight — a potentially catastrophic safety risk.\n\n**Who must comply:**\nAnyone operating a Maule M-5 aircraft with specific serial numbers listed in **Maule Service Bulletin No. 1**.\n\n**What must be done:**\n- **Inspect** the front attach tubes for cracks\n- **Modify** them as needed (the exact modification is detailed in the manufacturer's service bulletin, not repeated here)\n- **Deadline:** Within 100 hours of flying time after 31 October 1979 (unless already done)\n\n**Key point:** This is not optional. Airworthiness Directives are legally binding safety requirements. Ignoring them means the aircraft cannot legally fly."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The AD as written limits its scope to M-5 series aeroplanes identified by serial number in Maule Aircraft Corporation SB No. 1 and to the front fuselage tube that attaches the horizontal tail (see \"Applicability\" and \"Background\"). It imposes a single compliance action within a fixed 100-hour window after 31 October 1979 and refers implementers to the manufacturer’s service bulletin for procedural detail (see \"Compliance\" and \"Document\"). There is no indication in the provided text that the AD’s scope has been broadened or narrowed from the stated purpose; the instrument remains targeted at the specified aircraft/part and timeframe."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow technical scope limited to the fuselage tube at the front attach point for the horizontal tail (see \"Background\")","Applicability tied to specific M-5 serial numbers referenced in an external service bulletin, requiring users to consult that SB for exact serial-number coverage (see \"Applicability\" and \"Document\")","Compliance requirement is a single short deadline (100 hours time in service after 31 October 1979), which simplifies scheduling but imposes a firm short-term obligation (see \"Compliance\")","Procedural details and modification instructions are delegated to the manufacturer’s service bulletin rather than set out in the AD text, so implementers must obtain and follow the external document (see \"Document\")","Historical dating (1979/3/80) means the AD is concrete and time-bound, reducing ambiguity about ongoing inspection regimes (see header and \"Compliance\")"],"plain_english_summary":"What this directive does, mechanically\n\n- Requires owners/operators of certain Maule M-5 series aeroplanes to inspect and, if necessary, modify the fuselage tube that attaches the front attach point of the horizontal tail. The required procedures are those given in Maule Aircraft Corporation Service Bulletin No. 1 (Document: Maule Aircraft Corporation SB No. 1) (see “Document” and “Applicability”).\n- Sets a compliance deadline: the inspection/modification must be completed within 100 hours time in service after 31 October 1979 unless it has already been done (see “Compliance”).\n\nWho this affects\n\n- Aircraft owners and operators of M-5 series aircraft that are listed by serial number in Maule Aircraft Corporation SB No. 1 (see “Applicability” and “Document”).\n- Maintenance organisations or technicians who will carry out the inspection and any modification called for in the service bulletin.\n\nWhy it matters (official rationale and practical implications)\n\n- The AD’s stated purpose is to address the possibility that the fuselage tube that attaches the front attach point of the horizontal tail may be cracked (see “Background”). The mechanical risk cited is a potential crack in a primary structural tube that supports the horizontal tail.\n\nCosts, burdens and who pays (source-grounded)\n\n- The direct costs are borne by the aircraft owner/operator: labour time to inspect, any parts required for the modification, and aircraft downtime while the work is performed (see “Compliance” and “Document”).\n- If the work has already been done, no further action is required (see “Compliance”).\n\nWho decides and how it is implemented\n\n- The Civil Aviation Safety Authority issued the AD; the AD directs compliance with the manufacturer’s service bulletin for procedures (see “Document”).\n- Operational choices (when to schedule the 100 hours of flying before inspection, which approved maintenance organisation or technician performs the work) remain with the aircraft owner/operator and their maintenance providers, subject to aviation maintenance regulations.\n\nIncentives, trade-offs and implementation risks\n\n- Incentives: Owners/operators are incentivised to complete the inspection/modification within the time window to restore or retain the aircraft’s airworthiness certificate and to avoid the safety risk described (see “Compliance” and “Background”).\n- Trade-offs and opportunity costs: aircraft will be temporarily unavailable while inspected/modified; owners must allocate funds for labour and any parts called for in the SB (see “Compliance” and “Document”).\n- Implementation risk: the AD relies on the service bulletin for technical instructions; outcomes depend on correct execution by qualified maintenance personnel (see “Document”).\n\nEffects on private enterprise and competition\n\n- Independent approved maintenance organisations can perform the mandated inspection/modification if authorised, subject to the usual regulatory approvals for maintenance work. The AD uses the manufacturer’s service bulletin as the technical source; owners may incur costs for parts or for following the SB’s instructions (see “Document”).\n\nNet operational effect (behavior change)\n\n- Owners/operators must schedule and complete the inspection/modification within the specified 100-hour window after 31 October 1979 or show that the action has already been completed. Maintenance providers must perform the tasks per the manufacturer’s service bulletin. The AD does not, in this text, specify inspection intervals beyond the single compliance window or alternative corrective actions (see “Compliance” and “Document”)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-ml-m5-3-horizontal-tail-to-fuselage-front-attach-tubes-inspection-and-modification","history":"/api/acts/ad-ml-m5-3-horizontal-tail-to-fuselage-front-attach-tubes-inspection-and-modification/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-ml-m5-3-horizontal-tail-to-fuselage-front-attach-tubes-inspection-and-modification/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-ml-m5-3-horizontal-tail-to-fuselage-front-attach-tubes-inspection-and-modification/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-ml-m5-3-horizontal-tail-to-fuselage-front-attach-tubes-inspection-and-modification/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-ml-m5-3-horizontal-tail-to-fuselage-front-attach-tubes-inspection-and-modification/documents"}}