{"id":"F2006B05398","name":"AD/PA-18/8 - Rudder Control Cables - Inspection and Re-Routing","slug":"ad-pa-18-8-rudder-control-cables-inspection-and-re-routing","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":46030,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B05398-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/PA-18/8 - Rudder Control Cables - Inspection and Re-Routing","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)  Piper PA-18 and 19 (Super Cub) Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/PA-18/8 Rudder Control Cables - Inspection and Re-Routing\n\nApplicability: All models with S/Nos. 1807309016 to 18-7609001. Document:  Piper SB No. 485.\n\nCompliance: Within 100 hours time in service after 30 April 1976.\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\n \n\n \n\n \n\n\n4/76\n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a discrete, single-issue airworthiness directive from 1976 addressing a specific mechanical defect in a narrow range of aircraft. It has not expanded beyond its original purpose of mandating rudder cable inspection and re-routing for affected Piper Super Cub models."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short document (approximately 150 words)","Only 4 operative provisions: applicability, technical document reference, compliance deadline, and action required","No defined terms section","No cross-references to other legislation or regulations beyond the enabling authority (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, Part 39)","Single, unambiguous compliance trigger (100 hours time in service after fixed date)","No conditional logic, exceptions, or nested provisions"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** — a mandatory safety order issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). It applies to specific **Piper PA-18 and PA-19 Super Cub aircraft** (a type of small, single-engine aeroplane commonly used for bush flying and training).\n\n**What it requires:**\n- **Inspection and re-routing of rudder control cables** — the wires that connect the pilot's foot pedals to the rudder (the movable part of the tail that steers the aircraft left and right).\n- **Which aircraft:** Only those with serial numbers between 1807309016 and 18-7609001.\n- **When to comply:** Within 100 hours of flying time after 30 April 1976.\n- **Technical reference:** Piper Service Bulletin No. 485 (the manufacturer's official repair instructions).\n\n**Why it matters:**\nFaulty or improperly routed rudder cables can jam or fail, causing loss of directional control — potentially catastrophic during takeoff, landing, or low-altitude flying. This AD forces owners/operators to fix a known design or maintenance defect before it causes an accident."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The directive’s scope is the specific set of Piper PA-18 and PA-19 aircraft identified by serial numbers, requiring inspection and re-routing per Piper SB No. 485 within a fixed flight-hour window. There is no text in the instrument indicating an expansion or narrowing of that scope from an earlier or alternate intent; the AD as presented sets the applicability, the required document, and the compliance deadline explicitly (Applicability; Document: Piper SB No. 485; Compliance)."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow applicability limited to two model series and a specific serial-number range (Applicability).","Single mandatory action referenced to an external manufacturer service bulletin (Document: Piper SB No. 485).","Fixed, short compliance window measured in flight hours with a specific start date (Compliance).","Dependence on access to and clarity of the referenced service bulletin for procedural details (Document: Piper SB No. 485).","Regulatory enforcement by CASA under the Part 39 schedule (header), adding administrative steps for proof of compliance."],"plain_english_summary":"This airworthiness directive (AD) orders owners/operators to inspect and re-route the rudder control cables on certain Piper PA-18 and PA-19 (Super Cub) aeroplanes. It applies only to aeroplanes with serial numbers 1807309016 through 18-7609001 (see “Applicability”). The AD requires compliance by performing the inspection and any re-routing work described in Piper Service Bulletin No. 485 (see “Document: Piper SB No. 485”) within 100 hours time in service after 30 April 1976 (see “Compliance”).\n\nMechanically, the instrument does three things:\n- Identifies which aeroplanes are covered (specific model series and serial number range). (Applicability)\n- Specifies the corrective action to be carried out by reference to a manufacturer service bulletin. (Document: Piper SB No. 485)\n- Sets a deadline for completing the work: within 100 hours time in service after 30 April 1976. (Compliance)\n\nWho pays and who decides\n- The aircraft owners/operators are responsible for having the inspection and any re-routing work done, and for meeting the compliance deadline. (Applicability; Compliance)\n- The Civil Aviation Safety Authority issues the AD under the Commonwealth Part 39 schedule of airworthiness directives (heading). The AD requires following the procedures in the referenced manufacturer service bulletin. (Schedule header; Document: Piper SB No. 485)\n\nBehavioural and resource effects (mechanism-focused)\n- Owners/operators must arrange maintenance resources (labour, access to Piper SB No. 485, possible parts) to perform the inspection and re-routing within the specified hours.\n- Maintenance providers will carry out work to the manufacturer’s instructions; this creates a demand for those services from the covered subset of aircraft.\n- The AD substitutes a regulatory requirement for private discretion: affected operators cannot defer the inspection beyond the AD deadline without regulatory relief.\n\nCosts, incentives and practical trade-offs\n- Direct costs: time, labour and any parts or modifications needed to re-route the cables per the service bulletin. (Document: Piper SB No. 485; Compliance)\n- Incentive effect: operators are compelled to act within a fixed flight-time window; this accelerates maintenance scheduling compared with voluntary action.\n- Implementation dependencies: clear access to Piper SB No. 485 and availability of qualified maintenance personnel or facilities to perform the re-routing affect compliance feasibility and timing. (Document: Piper SB No. 485)\n\nImplementation risk and compliance burden\n- The AD’s scope is narrow (specified models and serial numbers), but compliance requires locating the correct documentation and completing the work within the flight-hour window; operators who miss the deadline would need to seek regulatory guidance. (Applicability; Compliance)\n\nSource citations: the AD’s title and content lines supply the requirements: “AD/PA-18/8 Rudder Control Cables - Inspection and Re-Routing”; Applicability: “All models with S/Nos. 1807309016 to 18-7609001.”; Document: “Piper SB No. 485.”; Compliance: “Within 100 hours time in service after 30 April 1976.”"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-pa-18-8-rudder-control-cables-inspection-and-re-routing","history":"/api/acts/ad-pa-18-8-rudder-control-cables-inspection-and-re-routing/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-pa-18-8-rudder-control-cables-inspection-and-re-routing/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-pa-18-8-rudder-control-cables-inspection-and-re-routing/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-pa-18-8-rudder-control-cables-inspection-and-re-routing/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-pa-18-8-rudder-control-cables-inspection-and-re-routing/documents"}}