{"id":"F2006B06244","name":"AD/PITTS S-2/15 Amdt 1 - Control Stick","slug":"ad-pitts-s-2-15-amdt-1-control-stick","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":47205,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B06244-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-02","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/PITTS S-2/15 Amdt 1 - Control Stick","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)  \nPitts S-1 and S-2 Series Aeroplanes\n\nAD/PITTS S-2/15\n\nAmdt 1\n\n  \nControl Stick 12/96\n\nApplicability: All Pitts aircraft models equipped with a control stick manufactured from a tube with a nominal wall thickness of 0.89 mm (0.035 inch).\n\nRequirement: Inspect the control stick in accordance with paragraph 5.A.(1) to 5.A.(6) of Aviat Service Bulletin (SB) No. 23, dated 29 March 1996. Where two control sticks are installed, both control sticks must be inspected.\n\nNote 1: FAA AD 96-10-12 refers.\n\nNote 2: Aviat SB No. 23 only refers to the model S-2A aeroplane. The inspection procedure of Aviat SB No. 23 is applicable to all models affected by this directive.\n\nCompliance: For aircraft that have not been inspected in accordance with the initial issue of this directive within 50 hours time in service before 7 November 1996, inspect before 10 hours time in service after 7 November 1996.\n\nFor aircraft that have been inspected in accordance with the initial issue of this directive within 50 hours time in service before 7 November 1996, inspect within 50 hours time in service since last inspected.\n\nRe-inspect at intervals not to exceed 50 hours time in service. This amendment to the directive takes effect 7 November 1996.\n\nBackground: The Authority received a report of the rear control stick failing in a Pitts S-2A. The failure occurred due to fatigue. Cracks had originated at the welds above the pitch pivot. The initial issue of this directive required inspection of all models and re- inspection for models S-2A and S-2S.\n\nThis amendment modifies the applicability to require re-inspection of control sticks made from tube with a wall thickness of 0.89 mm (0.035 inch) only. Replacement of the control stick with one made from tube with increased wall thickness, available from the manufacturer, will relieve the inspection requirement.\n\nThe initial issue of this Airworthiness Directive became effective on 31 January 1996.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"This amendment narrowed the AD's scope compared with the initial issue. The original directive required inspection of all models and re-inspection for certain models (S-2A, S-2S). The amendment limits the ongoing re-inspection requirement to control sticks made from tube with a nominal wall thickness of 0.89 mm (0.035 in) only, and adds an explicit compliance relief: replacement with a thicker-walled tube (available from the manufacturer) removes the inspection requirement."},"complexity_factors":["Short, targeted directive focused on one component (control stick)","Single defined applicability criterion: tube nominal wall thickness 0.89 mm","Cross-reference to Aviat Service Bulletin No. 23 (paragraphs 5.A.(1)–5.A.(6)) for inspection procedure","Cross-reference to FAA AD 96-10-12 (informational)","Time-based conditional compliance schedule relative to a historical effective date (7 November 1996) with two alternative initial-deadline rules","Repeating re-inspection interval: every 50 hours TIS","Relief mechanism: replacement with thicker tube relieves inspection requirement"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this rule does (in plain English)**\n\n- This Airworthiness Directive (AD) requires owners/operators of Pitts S-1 and S-2 series aeroplanes to inspect the control stick where the stick is made from a hollow tube with a nominal wall thickness of 0.89 mm (0.035 in).  If a cockpit has two control sticks, both must be inspected.\n\n- The inspections must be done using the step-by-step procedure given at paragraphs 5.A.(1) to 5.A.(6) of Aviat Service Bulletin No. 23 (dated 29 March 1996).\n\n- If the control stick is replaced with the thicker-walled tube offered by the manufacturer, the inspection requirement no longer applies to that aircraft.\n\n\n**Who is affected**\n\n- Owners and operators of Pitts S-1 and S-2 series aeroplanes that have control sticks made from tube with nominal wall thickness 0.89 mm.  (If your aircraft uses a thicker tube, this AD does not apply.)\n\n\n**When the inspections must be done**\n\n- If the aircraft had not been inspected under the initial issue of this AD within the 50 hours time-in-service (TIS) immediately before 7 November 1996, then the inspection must be done before the aircraft accumulates 10 hours TIS after 7 November 1996.\n\n- If the aircraft had already been inspected under the initial issue of this AD within the 50 hours TIS immediately before 7 November 1996, then inspect again within 50 hours TIS since that last inspection.\n\n- After the required inspection, re-inspect at intervals not exceeding 50 hours TIS.\n\n\n**Why the rule was made (source claim)**\n\n- The regulator received a report of a rear control stick failure in a Pitts S-2A caused by fatigue cracks that started at welds above the pitch pivot. The AD aims to find such cracks before they cause failure.\n\n\n**How compliance works in practice (costs, incentives and trade-offs)**\n\n- Who pays: aircraft owners/operators bear the direct costs — performing the inspections at the prescribed interval or paying to replace the stick with the thicker tube that removes the inspection obligation.\n\n- Behaviour change required: regular visual/technical inspection every 50 hours TIS until the stick is replaced; record-keeping and scheduling to meet the AD deadlines.\n\n- Trade-off: ongoing inspection cost and downtime versus one-off replacement cost. Replacing the stick with the thicker-walled tube removes the recurrent inspection burden but requires purchasing and fitting the replacement part.\n\n- Implementation risk and administrative burden: the AD references an external service bulletin (Aviat SB No. 23) for the inspection procedure, so operators must obtain and correctly follow that document. Regulatory enforcement rests with the aviation authority; inspectors must verify compliance during surveillance/maintenance checks.\n\n- Effects on private choice and competition: the AD constrains aircraft maintenance choices for affected models (owners must inspect or replace as specified). The manufacturer supplies a compliance option (thicker tube) that may be the most convenient solution for some owners; this creates concentrated demand for that replacement part.\n\n- Substitution and unintended consequences: owners may choose replacement to avoid repetitive inspections, shifting costs from labour/recurring maintenance to parts and installation. If replacement parts are scarce or expensive, some owners may defer the work, increasing safety and regulatory risks.\n\n\n**Technical cross-references**\n\n- The AD instructs operators to follow Aviat Service Bulletin No. 23 (paragraphs 5.A.(1) to 5.A.(6)). It also notes an FAA Airworthiness Directive (FAA AD 96-10-12) covering the same issue.\n\n\n**Bottom line**\n\n- If your Pitts aircraft has control sticks made from 0.89 mm wall-thickness tube, you must inspect them per Aviat SB No. 23 on the timetable in this AD (initially very soon if not already inspected, then every 50 hours TIS), or replace the stick with the thicker-tube option from the manufacturer to remove the inspection obligation."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":true,"description":"The original directive (initial issue 31 January 1996) required inspection of all models and re-inspection specifically for S-2A and S-2S models. This amendment narrows the scope significantly — it now applies only to control sticks made from tubing with 0.89 mm wall thickness, regardless of aircraft model. This represents a refinement based on technical understanding: the safety authority determined the fatigue risk was specific to the thinner tubing, not the aircraft models themselves. The amendment also adds the permanent fix option (replacement with thicker-walled stick)."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple compliance deadlines based on prior inspection history (conditional logic)","Cross-reference to external technical document (Aviat Service Bulletin No. 23) without reproducing its content","Reference to FAA AD 96-10-12 (US equivalent regulation)","Specific technical measurement (0.89 mm / 0.035 inch wall thickness) requiring physical verification","Amendment structure requires understanding of 'initial issue' vs current version"],"plain_english_summary":"This safety order targets owners/operators of Pitts S-1 and S-2 aeroplanes whose control sticks are made from thin-walled tubing (0.89 mm / 0.035 in). It requires regular inspections of the stick pivot area after reports of fatigue cracks and a failure on an S-2A, to prevent loss of pitch control in flight.\n\nInspections must be done per Aviat Service Bulletin No. 23 (initially within a short flight-time window, then every 50 hours). Replacing the thin-walled stick with a thicker-walled unit from the manufacturer removes the inspection requirement."},"flash_summary_failed":{"failed":true,"reason":"Unauthenticated. Configure AI_GATEWAY_API_KEY or use a provider module. Learn more: https://ai-sdk.dev/unauthenticated-ai-gateway","source":"analysis-cron"}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-pitts-s-2-15-amdt-1-control-stick","history":"/api/acts/ad-pitts-s-2-15-amdt-1-control-stick/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-pitts-s-2-15-amdt-1-control-stick/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-pitts-s-2-15-amdt-1-control-stick/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-pitts-s-2-15-amdt-1-control-stick/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-pitts-s-2-15-amdt-1-control-stick/documents"}}