{"id":"F2006B06969","name":"AD/SF340/40 - Motor Operated Fuel Valve Actuator","slug":"ad-sf340-40-motor-operated-fuel-valve-actuator","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":114881,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B06969-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/SF340/40 - Motor Operated Fuel Valve Actuator","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)  \nSAAB SF340 Series Aeroplanes\n\nAD/SF340/40 Motor Operated Fuel Valve Actuator 2/94\n\nApplicability: Model 340B serial numbers 340B-271 and \\-275 through \\-300 inclusive.\n\nRequirement: Action in accordance with SAAB Aircraft AB Service Bulletin SAAB 340-28-016 dated 21 October 1992.\n\nNote: Swedish (LFV) SAD No 1-056 dated 22 October 1992 refers.\n\nCompliance: If not previously accomplished, then no later than 1 May 1994.\n\nBackground: The Swedish Airworthiness Authority has advised that Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) tests indicate that the actuator assemblies of certain fuel shut-off valves may fail to function after exposure to EMI, such as lightning or high intensity radiated fields (HIRF). Loss of function of the fuel shut-off valves, if not detected or corrected in a timely manner, could result in unchecked fuel leakage or fuel imbalance. Compliance with this Directive decreases the likelihood of EMI affecting the fuel valves.","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 electromagnetic interference vulnerability in a limited fleet of aircraft. It has not expanded beyond its original technical scope."},"complexity_factors":["Single, specific technical requirement (replace/modify actuators per manufacturer bulletin)","Narrow applicability (only 27 specific aircraft serial numbers)","No defined terms section or complex interpretation provisions","Single compliance deadline with simple conditional ('if not previously accomplished')","No cross-references to other legislation beyond the parent Civil Aviation Regulations","Straightforward cause-and-effect safety rationale"],"plain_english_summary":"This is an **Airworthiness Directive** — a mandatory safety order issued by Australia's Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) that requires specific repairs or inspections on aircraft.\n\n**What it does:**\nOrders owners and operators of specific Saab 340B aircraft to replace or modify the **motor-operated fuel valve actuators** (the electric motors that open and close fuel shut-off valves). This must be done following instructions in a manufacturer service bulletin.\n\n**Why it matters:**\nTesting found these actuators can fail after exposure to **electromagnetic interference** — such as lightning strikes or strong radio signals from ground equipment. If the fuel valves fail, fuel could leak uncontrollably or become unbalanced between wings, creating serious fire or flight control risks.\n\n**Who it affects:**\n- **Aircraft:** Saab 340B planes with serial numbers 340B-271 and 340B-275 through 340B-300\n- **People:** Airlines, charter operators, and maintenance crews who operate or service these specific aircraft\n\n**What must happen:**\nThe required modification must be completed by **1 May 1994** unless already done.\n\n**Key point:** This is not optional. Airworthiness Directives are legally binding safety requirements. Non-compliance means the aircraft cannot legally fly."},"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The text sets out a targeted maintenance mandate for specific SAAB 340B serial numbers and a compliance deadline. The AD does not indicate any amendment to or narrowing of an earlier directive within the supplied text, nor does it signal a change from an original intent; it simply prescribes that the work described in SAAB 340-28-016 be carried out for the listed aircraft by the stated date (Applicability; Requirement; Compliance)."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow applicability: affects a limited, clearly listed set of serial numbers (Applicability).","Mandates external technical document: compliance requires following SAAB Service Bulletin SAAB 340-28-016 rather than containing technical steps in the AD itself (Requirement).","Firm deadline: a single compliance date is specified (Compliance).","Safety-critical content: the subject (fuel-shutoff valve actuator failure after EMI) is technical and safety-sensitive, which may require specialised maintenance resources (Background; Requirement).","No quantitative requirements or alternatives provided: the AD prescribes action in accordance with the service bulletin without stating measurable performance criteria, which concentrates technical discretion in the service bulletin author (Requirement)."],"plain_english_summary":"### What this instrument does, in practical terms\n\nThis Airworthiness Directive (AD) requires operators of certain SAAB 340B aeroplanes to carry out the work described in SAAB Aircraft AB Service Bulletin SAAB 340-28-016 (dated 21 October 1992). The AD applies only to Model 340B serial numbers 340B-271 and 340B-275 through 340B-300 inclusive (Applicability). The required work must be completed no later than 1 May 1994 if it has not already been done (Compliance). The AD itself is published as part of the Commonwealth Schedule of Airworthiness Directives and directs action “in accordance with” the named SAAB service bulletin (Requirement).\n\n### Why the work is required (official rationale)\n\nThe Background states that Swedish airworthiness testing found the motor-operated fuel valve actuator assemblies on these valves can fail to function after exposure to electromagnetic interference (EMI), for example from lightning or high-intensity radiated fields (HIRF). The AD records that loss of function could allow uncontrolled fuel leakage or a fuel imbalance, and says that complying with the Directive decreases the likelihood of EMI affecting the fuel valves (Background).\n\n### Who pays, who decides, and what changes\n\n- Who decides: the Directive is issued as part of the Commonwealth Schedule of Airworthiness Directives and prescribes compliance “in accordance with” the SAAB service bulletin (Requirement). The service bulletin contains the technical steps to be followed (Requirement).  \n- Who pays: the registered operators or owners of the affected SAAB 340B aircraft are the parties required to have the work done (Applicability; Requirement). Any direct costs for parts, labour, or maintenance follow from carrying out the service bulletin.  \n- What behaviour changes: operators must arrange for the specified inspection/modification/repair work set out in SAAB 340-28-016 to be performed on each listed aircraft by 1 May 1994, or earlier if already done (Requirement; Compliance). Failure to detect or correct the actuator problem may leave the aircraft exposed to the fuel-valve failure risk described (Background).\n\n### Implementation, compliance burden and risks\n\n- Implementation mechanism: compliance is achieved by following the SAAB service bulletin’s technical instructions; the AD does not restate those technical steps but makes them mandatory for the listed serial numbers (Requirement).  \n- Compliance burden: the AD imposes a discrete maintenance obligation on a narrowly defined set of aircraft. The obligation will typically require access to qualified maintenance resources and any parts or labour specified in the service bulletin (Applicability; Requirement).  \n- Timing risk: the AD sets a firm deadline (1 May 1994) for completion if the work was not previously accomplished (Compliance).  \n- Safety trade-off stated in the text: the Directive is justified in the Background as reducing the likelihood that EMI will cause fuel-valve failure; the text links compliance to a reduced likelihood of fuel leakage or imbalance (Background). The AD does not quantify costs, market effects, or alternative measures; it leaves the technical content and method of compliance to the SAAB service bulletin (Requirement).\n\n### Effects on private enterprise and independent businesses (source-grounded inferences)\n\n- The direct effect falls on the owners/operators of the specific aircraft listed (Applicability). They must procure the work required by the service bulletin (Requirement).  \n- Maintenance organisations capable of performing work to SAAB’s instructions may receive business from operators who must comply (Requirement).  \n- The AD does not address broader market effects such as competition, pricing, or changes to aircraft ownership; it imposes a specific maintenance mandate for the defined serial numbers and defers technical detail to the service bulletin (Applicability; Requirement)."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-40-motor-operated-fuel-valve-actuator","history":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-40-motor-operated-fuel-valve-actuator/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-40-motor-operated-fuel-valve-actuator/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-40-motor-operated-fuel-valve-actuator/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-40-motor-operated-fuel-valve-actuator/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-40-motor-operated-fuel-valve-actuator/documents"}}