{"id":"F2006B11417","name":"AD/OPTICA/5 - Airframe Retirement Life","slug":"ad-optica-5-airframe-retirement-life","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":57330,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B11417-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/OPTICA/5 - Airframe Retirement Life","content":"COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 \\- 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY\n\nSCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES\n\n![](image.001.png)  \nFLS Aerospace OA7 Optica Series Aeroplanes\n\nAD/OPTICA/5 Airframe Retirement Life 7/95\n\nApplicability: All Optica OA7 aircraft up to and including Serial Number 019.\n\nNote: Retirement lives for later serial numbers are defined in Chapter 4 of the Series 300 Maintenance Manual, OA7/TP/20.\n\nRequirement: Retire the airframe from service. Compliance: Before 2600 hours time in service.\n\nBackground: Several deficiencies were found in the original fatigue evaluation of early model Optica aircraft. Re-evaluation of the data has concluded that the primary load bearing structure has a safe fatigue life of only 2600 hours. Subsequent aircraft, designated as Series 300, were built with redesigned primary structure with much higher fatigue lives. Retirement lives for Series 300 aircraft are listed in the Airworthiness Limitations Chapter of the Maintenance Manual.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The directive implements a precise retirement limit for the early-model Optica OA7 aircraft that aligns with the stated objective in the Background (addressing deficiencies in the original fatigue evaluation). It applies specifically to aircraft up to serial number 019 and leaves later-series retirement lives to the Maintenance Manual. The scope therefore follows the instrument's stated purpose and does not, on its face, expand or contract that purpose beyond what is described in the Background and Applicability/Requirement/Compliance text."},"complexity_factors":["Single, prescriptive requirement (retire airframe before 2,600 hours) with clear applicability to serial numbers up to 019 (Applicability; Requirement; Compliance).","Direct technical basis provided (fatigue re-evaluation), but no complex compliance options or alternate paths described (Background).","Limited interaction with other documents: later serials governed by Maintenance Manual chapters, requiring cross-reference for other aircraft (Background).","Implementation requires accurate time-in-service tracking and administrative recordkeeping, which adds operational complexity despite simple legal text (Compliance).","Economic impact concentrated on a small, identifiable set of owners/operators rather than broad regulated population (Applicability; Requirement)."],"plain_english_summary":"What this rule does (mechanically)\n\n- Requires that certain early-model FLS Aerospace OA7 Optica aircraft (all aircraft with serial numbers up to and including 019) be removed from service (retired) before they accumulate 2,600 hours time in service. (Applicability; Requirement; Compliance)\n\nWho it affects\n\n- Aircraft owners and operators of Optica OA7 aeroplanes with serial numbers up to and including 019 are directly affected because they must take those airframes out of operational use before 2,600 hours. (Applicability; Requirement; Compliance)\n\nWhy the rule was made (claimed rationale) and the factual basis in the instrument\n\n- The document states that the original fatigue evaluation for early-model Optica aircraft was deficient. A re-evaluation concluded that the primary load-bearing structure for these early models has a safe fatigue life of only 2,600 hours. The stated purpose of the retirement requirement is to ensure airworthiness in light of that finding. (Background)\n\nPractical effects, who pays, and how behaviour changes\n\n- Owners/operators pay the direct costs: retired airframes lose remaining operational life and will need replacement aircraft or parts, disposal, and any associated grounding or ferrying costs. These are the concrete economic costs caused by the mandatory retirement. (Requirement; Compliance)\n- Operators must monitor and record time-in-service for the affected serial-numbered aircraft to ensure retirement occurs before 2,600 hours. That creates an administrative compliance task (recordkeeping and scheduling). (Compliance)\n- The rule changes private choice by removing the option to continue operating the affected airframes beyond the stated hours limit; owners cannot lawfully rely on longer operational life for those serial numbers. (Requirement; Compliance)\n\nTrade-offs, implementation risks and administrative features\n\n- Trade-off: The directive replaces potential continued use of the airframe with a mandatory retirement at a fixed hours threshold. The instrument claims safety improvement based on re-evaluated fatigue life; the trade-off is reduced asset utilisation versus the asserted reduction in fatigue-related risk. (Background; Requirement)\n- Implementation risks: accurate tracking of time-in-service is required; failures in tracking or in enforcement could result in non-compliance. The directive itself is a clear prescriptive requirement rather than a discretionary framework. (Compliance)\n- Administrative burden: operators face a one-off compliance decision per affected airframe plus ongoing log-keeping until retirement. There is no additional procedural detail in the text about approvals, exemptions, or transition arrangements. (Requirement; Compliance)\n\nInteraction with later production models\n\n- Later production Optica aircraft (designated Series 300) are treated differently: their retirement lives are defined in Chapter 4 of the Series 300 Maintenance Manual and in the Airworthiness Limitations Chapter of the Maintenance Manual. This directive therefore applies only to the earlier serial-numbered aircraft up to 019; it does not change retirement lives for later serial numbers. (Applicability; Background)\n\nScope and discretion\n\n- The directive sets a categorical, time-based retirement requirement for the specified serial-number range. It does not set out discretionary exemptions or alternative inspection-based continuing-service criteria in the text provided. The decision and enforcement responsibility implied by the form of the document rests with the regulator issuing the directive and the aircraft owners/operators required to comply. (Requirement; Compliance)\n\nSource citations: Applicability; Requirement; Compliance; Background."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a discrete, standalone airworthiness directive with a narrow, specific purpose (grounding early Optica models). It has not expanded beyond its original safety-critical intent."},"complexity_factors":["Single, unambiguous operative requirement (retire airframe before 2600 hours)","No defined terms section — plain language used throughout","Minimal conditional logic (simple applicability test: serial numbers 001-019)","No cross-references to other legislation or regulations beyond citation of parent regulations","Single background paragraph explaining rationale","Total length: approximately 150 words"],"plain_english_summary":"This is a **safety order** (called an \"Airworthiness Directive\") issued by Australia's aviation safety regulator (CASA) that **permanently grounds specific aircraft**.\n\n**What it does:**\n- **Forces owners to stop flying** certain Optica OA7 aeroplanes (serial numbers 001 through 019) once they reach 2,600 hours of flight time\n- These early-model planes must be **retired from service entirely** — not repaired, not inspected, but taken out of use permanently\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Owners and operators of early Optica OA7 aircraft (the first 19 ever built)\n- Later models (Series 300) have different rules and aren't covered by this specific order\n\n**Why it matters:**\nThe original safety calculations for these planes were wrong. Engineers discovered the main structural frame (the \"backbone\" that holds the plane together) wears out from metal fatigue much faster than first thought — becoming unsafe after just 2,600 hours of flying. Rather than risk the wings falling off, the regulator is playing it safe and capping these planes' lifespans.\n\n**Key point:** This isn't a suggestion — it's a legal requirement. Flying one of these aircraft past 2,600 hours violates civil aviation law."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-optica-5-airframe-retirement-life","history":"/api/acts/ad-optica-5-airframe-retirement-life/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-optica-5-airframe-retirement-life/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-optica-5-airframe-retirement-life/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-optica-5-airframe-retirement-life/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-optica-5-airframe-retirement-life/documents"}}