{"id":"F2006B06154","name":"AD/PC-6/5 - Fuel Valve - Inspection and Replacement","slug":"ad-pc-6-5-fuel-valve-inspection-and-replacement","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":46959,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B06154-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/PC-6/5 - Fuel Valve - Inspection and 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)  Pilatus Porter PC-6 Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/PC-6/5 Fuel Valve - Inspection and Replacement 3/66\n\nApplicability: All model PC-6/340 with S/Nos. 338 to 350, 513, 516 to 521 and 523. All models\n\nwith S/Nos. 515, 522 and 524 to 580.\n\n \n\nDocument: Pilatus SB No. 36.\n\n \n\nCompliance: As detailed in the requirement document.\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","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a discrete, targeted safety directive addressing a specific mechanical component on specific aircraft. It has not expanded beyond its original purpose of ensuring fuel valve integrity on affected PC-6 models."},"complexity_factors":["Extremely short document (under 200 words)","Only 2 substantive requirements: applicability listing and compliance reference","No defined terms section — relies entirely on external document (Pilatus SB No. 36)","No conditional logic or nested exceptions within the directive text itself","Simple serial number-based applicability — mechanical check, no interpretive ambiguity","Cross-reference is singular and explicit (to manufacturer service bulletin)"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an **Airworthiness Directive (AD)** issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA). It applies to specific **Pilatus Porter PC-6 aircraft** — a type of single-engine turboprop plane used for tasks like skydiving, cargo drops, and bush flying.\n\n**What it does:**\n- Requires owners and operators of certain PC-6 aircraft to **inspect and potentially replace the fuel valve** on their planes.\n- The directive references **Pilatus Service Bulletin No. 36** — a technical notice from the manufacturer detailing the exact inspection steps and replacement criteria.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- Owners and operators of PC-6/340 models with specific serial numbers (338–350, 513, 516–521, 523)\n- All PC-6 models with serial numbers 515, 522, and 524–580\n\n**Why it matters:**\nFuel valve failures can cause **engine fuel starvation**, leading to power loss and potential crashes. This AD is a **mandatory safety order** — compliance isn't optional. Aircraft cannot legally fly until the required inspection is done and any defective valves are replaced.\n\n**Key point:** The directive itself doesn't spell out the technical steps; it simply **mandates compliance** with the manufacturer's service bulletin. This is common in aviation regulation — the regulator issues the legal order, the manufacturer provides the technical how-to."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The document as provided states the AD title, the specific aircraft serial numbers to which it applies, and refers to Pilatus SB No. 36 for the required actions. There is no text in this instrument that indicates an amendment to or narrowing/widening of scope relative to the AD as presented here. The AD’s operative scope is the set of serial-numbered PC-6 aeroplanes listed under “Applicability,” and that scope is unchanged within the supplied text."},"complexity_factors":["Reliance on an external technical document (Pilatus SB No. 36) for all operative details (Document: Pilatus SB No. 36).","Applicability limited to specific serial-number ranges, requiring accurate aircraft identification (Applicability).","Absence of substantive compliance details in the AD text itself—intervals, procedures and acceptance criteria are delegated (Compliance: As detailed in the requirement document).","Regulatory enforcement and any allowance for alternate compliance methods are not described in the text, creating potential procedural uncertainty (Header; Compliance).","Operational impacts (inspection scheduling, parts procurement, downtime) are consequential but not quantified in the instrument (Compliance; Applicability)."],"plain_english_summary":"What this instrument does, in plain terms:\n\n- This is an Airworthiness Directive titled “AD/PC-6/5 Fuel Valve - Inspection and Replacement.” It requires inspection of, and if necessary replacement of, a fuel valve on specified Pilatus PC-6 aeroplanes. (Header and title)\n\nWho it applies to:\n\n- Owners and operators of Pilatus Porter PC-6 series aeroplanes with the serial numbers listed under “Applicability.” The AD lists two groups of serial numbers: S/Nos. 338 to 350, 513, 516 to 521 and 523; and S/Nos. 515, 522 and 524 to 580. (Applicability)\n\nHow it works mechanically:\n\n- The AD refers to a requirement document for the detailed actions to be taken. That requirement document is Pilatus Service Bulletin No. 36. The AD requires compliance “as detailed in the requirement document.” In practice, that means operators must follow the inspection and replacement steps, intervals, and acceptance criteria set out in Pilatus SB No. 36. (Document: Pilatus SB No. 36; Compliance: As detailed in the requirement document)\n\nWho decides and who pays:\n\n- The Civil Aviation Safety Authority issues and enforces the directive under the Civil Aviation Regulations framework. The practical decisions about inspection scheduling, performing the inspection, and carrying out any replacement fall to the aircraft owner/operator and their maintenance provider. Those parties will bear the direct costs of labour, parts and aircraft downtime. (Header referencing Civil Aviation Regulations 1998, PART 39; Applicability; Document; Compliance)\n\nWhy it matters (official claim and practical tests against costs and incentives):\n\n- The AD’s title and placement among Airworthiness Directives indicate its stated purpose is to address an airworthiness or safety concern with the fuel valve on particular PC-6 aeroplanes. That stated purpose is expressed indirectly via the instrument’s form and reference to a service bulletin rather than a separate explanatory statement. (Header; Title)\n\n- Cost and incentive implications (as implied by the instrument): owners/operators incur inspection and, if required, replacement costs and downtime because compliance is mandatory. The AD does not quantify costs, intervals, or technical steps in its text; those details are delegated to Pilatus SB No. 36, so compliance planning requires consulting that external document. (Compliance; Document)\n\n- Trade-offs and opportunity costs: complying diverts maintenance resources and aircraft availability toward this mandated task; operators must weigh that against other maintenance or operational priorities. The AD does not specify funding sources or financial relief. (Compliance)\n\n- Implementation risk and bureaucratic discretion: the AD delegates technical specifics to the referenced service bulletin. That creates limited administrative discretion in how the regulatory authority enforces the AD (for example, acceptance of alternate methods of compliance would follow regulatory practice but is not specified in this AD text). The AD itself contains no conditional exemptions or alternative procedures. (Document; Compliance)\n\n- Compliance burden and private choice: affected operators must identify whether their aircraft are within the listed serial numbers and then follow the steps in Pilatus SB No. 36. This imposes administrative work (serial-number verification, arranging inspections, recording compliance) and potential operational constraints from maintenance actions. (Applicability; Document; Compliance)\n\nWhat the AD does not say in this text:\n\n- The AD as published here does not provide the detailed inspection procedures, intervals, acceptance criteria, timelines for compliance, or cost estimates; all those details are contained in the referenced Pilatus service bulletin. The AD does not state enforcement penalties, nor does it specify who pays for parts or labour beyond the practical expectation that owners/operators will. (Document; Compliance)\n\nBottom line:\n\n- The directive mandates inspection and possible replacement of a fuel valve on a defined set of Pilatus PC-6 aeroplanes by reference to Pilatus SB No. 36. The Civil Aviation Safety Authority issues the AD; aircraft owners/operators must follow the service bulletin’s requirements and will bear the operational and financial costs of doing so. (Header; Applicability; Document; Compliance)"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-pc-6-5-fuel-valve-inspection-and-replacement","history":"/api/acts/ad-pc-6-5-fuel-valve-inspection-and-replacement/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-pc-6-5-fuel-valve-inspection-and-replacement/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-pc-6-5-fuel-valve-inspection-and-replacement/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-pc-6-5-fuel-valve-inspection-and-replacement/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-pc-6-5-fuel-valve-inspection-and-replacement/documents"}}