{"id":"F2006B05536","name":"AD/PA-24/37 - Stabilator Balance Weight Tube - Replacement","slug":"ad-pa-24-37-stabilator-balance-weight-tube-replacement","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":46445,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B05536-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/PA-24/37 - Stabilator Balance Weight Tube - Replacement","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-24 (Comanche) Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/PA-24/37 Stabilator Balance Weight Tube - Replacement 8/76\n\nApplicability: All models with stabilator modification kit Piper P/N 760747 installed per Piper SL No. 687.\n\n \n\nDocument: Piper SB No. 496.\n\n \n\nCompliance: Within 100 hours time in service after 31 August 1976.\n\n \n","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a discrete, time-limited safety directive focused on a specific mechanical defect in a specific aircraft model. It has not expanded beyond its original purpose of mandating a single part replacement."},"complexity_factors":["Single, specific maintenance action required (replacement of one part)","Narrow applicability (only one aircraft series with specific modification kit)","Clear compliance deadline (100 hours time in service after fixed date)","No nested exceptions or conditional logic","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the cited manufacturer documents","Extremely short document (approximately 100 words of substantive content)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this is:** This is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** — a mandatory safety order issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). ADs are legally binding instructions that aircraft owners and operators must follow to fix unsafe conditions in aircraft.\n\n**What it requires:** Owners of specific **Piper PA-24 Comanche aeroplanes** must replace a part called the **\"stabilator balance weight tube\"** — a component in the aircraft's tail that helps keep the plane stable during flight.\n\n**Which planes are affected:** Only PA-24 models that have had a specific modification kit installed (Piper part number 760747, installed per Piper Service Letter No. 687).\n\n**The safety issue:** The original document (Piper Service Bulletin No. 496) identified a problem with this tube that could affect aircraft control or safety.\n\n**Deadline for action:** Aircraft operators had to complete this replacement within **100 hours of flying time** after 31 August 1976.\n\n**Why it matters:** This directive prevents potential loss of aircraft control due to a defective stabilator component. Non-compliance means the aircraft cannot legally fly."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The AD is narrowly targeted to aircraft with a specific Piper stabilator modification kit (P/N 760747 per SL No. 687) and prescribes a single corrective action within a fixed timeframe. The text contains no indication that the scope was expanded or narrowed relative to an earlier version; it reads as a focused replacement requirement for that defined subset of PA-24 aircraft. (See \"Applicability\" and \"Compliance\".)"},"complexity_factors":["Narrow applicability: only aircraft with stabilator modification kit Piper P/N 760747 installed per Piper SL No. 687 (low breadth). (Applicability)","Single prescriptive action: replacement of one component (low procedural complexity). (AD title)","Short, fixed compliance window: within 100 hours time in service after 31 August 1976 (creates scheduling pressure but is simple to apply). (Compliance)","Reliance on external technical document (Piper SB No. 496) for implementation details increases practical complexity for operators who must obtain the bulletin and parts. (Document)","Regulatory authority reference to Part 39/Schedule of Airworthiness Directives implies formal enforcement but no discretionary compliance options are provided in the AD text (administrative clarity). (Header)"],"plain_english_summary":"If your Piper PA-24 has the stabilator modification kit P/N 760747 installed (per Piper SL No. 687), this AD mandates replacement of the stabilator balance weight tube per Piper SB No. 496. Affected owners/operators and maintenance providers must complete the replacement within 100 hours TIS after 31 August 1976. The action is enforceable as an airworthiness requirement and the cost and scheduling burden fall to the aircraft owner/operator."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-pa-24-37-stabilator-balance-weight-tube-replacement","history":"/api/acts/ad-pa-24-37-stabilator-balance-weight-tube-replacement/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-pa-24-37-stabilator-balance-weight-tube-replacement/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-pa-24-37-stabilator-balance-weight-tube-replacement/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-pa-24-37-stabilator-balance-weight-tube-replacement/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-pa-24-37-stabilator-balance-weight-tube-replacement/documents"}}