{"id":"F2006B06972","name":"AD/SF340/43 - Power Lever Placard","slug":"ad-sf340-43-power-lever-placard","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":114886,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2006B06972-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"AD/SF340/43 - Power Lever Placard","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)  SAAB SF340 Series Aeroplanes\n\n \n\nAD/SF340/43 Power Lever Placard  7/94 DM\n\n \n\nApplicability: All SAAB SF 340A S/N 004 through 159 and SF 340B S/N 160 through 379. Requirement:               Action in accordance with SAAB Service Bulletin 340-76-033.\n\nNote: FAA AD 94-09-09 amdt 39-8898 refers.\n\n \n\nCompliance: Unless previously carried out within 14 days from 16 May 1994.\n\n \n\nBackground:  Advice has been received of a recent event overseas where during descent all engine power was lost after both propellers overspeed possibly due to an inadvertent crew selection of the power levers to a position below ‘flight idle’.\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":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":3,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"The AD applies to the specific fleets listed and mandates the action set out in SAAB Service Bulletin 340-76-033 within a short compliance window. The text does not indicate any expansion or narrowing of scope from the instrument's stated purpose; it remains a fleet-specific mandatory corrective action tied to the manufacturer’s service bulletin (Applicability; Requirement; Compliance; Background)."},"complexity_factors":["Narrow, clearly defined applicability by serial number (Applicability).","Mandates action by reference to an external manufacturer service bulletin rather than including technical steps in the AD (Requirement).","Short statutory compliance period (14 days from 16 May 1994) increases scheduling pressure (Compliance).","Safety-critical context necessitates precise implementation and creates enforcement obligations (Background; Requirement).","Cross-reference to an FAA AD (FAA AD 94-09-09) creates coordination but no additional procedural complexity in the AD text (Requirement Note)."],"plain_english_summary":"What this instrument does (mechanical change)\n\n- This Airworthiness Directive (AD) mandates that operators of certain SAAB SF340 aeroplanes carry out the action described in SAAB Service Bulletin 340-76-033. The AD is titled \"Power Lever Placard\" and, by its text, requires compliance with that service bulletin as the prescribed remedial step (Requirement).\n- The AD applies to all SAAB SF340A serial numbers 004 through 159 and SF340B serial numbers 160 through 379 (Applicability).\n- Operators were required to comply within 14 days from 16 May 1994, unless the work had already been done (Compliance).\n\nWhy the AD was issued (official rationale and its source claim)\n\n- The AD records that CASA received advice of a recent overseas event where, during descent, both engines lost power after both propellers oversped — possibly because the crew inadvertently moved the power levers below the \"flight idle\" position (Background). The AD therefore directs the SB action as the corrective measure referenced by that safety report.\n\nWho pays, who decides, and what behaviour changes\n\n- Who pays: Aircraft operators (or their maintenance providers) must perform the action specified in the SAAB service bulletin (Requirement). That creates a direct compliance cost for each affected aircraft (Applicability).\n- Who decides: The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) issued the AD and determines the mandatory requirement and compliance time (the instrument itself and the Compliance clause).\n- Behaviour changes: After compliance, crews will have the placard(s) and/or any procedural labels or markings installed per the SB. The physical change and any associated procedural advisory aim to make it less likely that power levers are moved below flight idle during descent (Background; Requirement).\n\nPractical effects, incentives and trade-offs (tested against costs and implementation mechanics)\n\n- Compliance mechanics and external dependency: The AD does not set out step-by-step technical instructions in the AD text; it instead mandates that operators follow SAAB Service Bulletin 340-76-033 (Requirement). That means operators must obtain and follow the manufacturer service bulletin to know exactly what to install or change.\n- Direct costs and who bears them: Costs are borne by the operators (or their contracted maintenance organisations) who must source the placard, labour and any associated documentation changes (Requirement; Applicability). The AD gives a short statutory window for compliance, which concentrates near-term implementation costs (Compliance).\n- Compliance burden and enforcement risk: The AD is time-limited for compliance (14 days from 16 May 1994). The AD itself creates a legally enforceable maintenance obligation; failure to comply would leave the operator non-compliant with the AD (Compliance; Requirement).\n- Effects on private businesses and competition: Independent maintenance organisations can perform the work, so the AD creates potential demand for MRO services. The AD does not alter ownership, operating rights, fare/pricing rules or market access — it imposes a safety-related retrofit on a defined fleet (Applicability; Requirement).\n- Information and discretion: The AD delegates technical detail to the manufacturer’s service bulletin (Requirement). That delegation reduces the AD’s technical ambiguity but increases reliance on the SB’s content and on operators’ correct interpretation and implementation of it.\n- Cross‑jurisdictional reference: The AD notes a related FAA AD (FAA AD 94-09-09 amdt 39-8898) (Requirement Note). That indicates alignment with an overseas regulator’s action but does not itself change the mechanics of compliance under this AD.\n\nCosts, risks and potential unintended consequences (mechanisms, not judgments)\n\n- Concentrated compliance burden: Only owners/operators of the specified serial-numbered SF340s must act, so the cost is concentrated on a defined group (Applicability).\n- Time pressure: The 14-day compliance window (from 16 May 1994) compresses scheduling for maintenance providers and operators, potentially increasing short-term labour or logistical costs (Compliance).\n- Substitution effects: Operators may subcontract the work to independent MROs; the AD does not mandate a particular provider (Requirement).\n- Implementation risk: Because the AD refers to an external service bulletin for technical steps, incorrect interpretation or inadequate implementation of that bulletin could leave the safety issue unaddressed; conversely, correct implementation depends on accessing and following the SB precisely (Requirement).\n\nNet operational summary\n\n- The AD creates a mandatory, fleet‑specific, short‑term retrofit obligation: follow SAAB Service Bulletin 340-76-033 for SF340A S/N 004–159 and SF340B S/N 160–379 within 14 days of 16 May 1994 unless already done (Applicability; Requirement; Compliance).\n- The stated purpose (per the AD) is to address an overseas incident where inadvertent selection of power levers below flight idle may have led to propeller overspeed and subsequent loss of engine power (Background). The instrument addresses that by prescribing a specific manufacturer action, shifting the immediate cost and implementation tasks to the aircraft operators and their maintenance providers (Requirement; Compliance)."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":2,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This is a discrete, targeted safety directive addressing a specific mechanical/human factors issue. It has not expanded beyond its original purpose of mandating a warning placard installation."},"complexity_factors":["Very short document (approximately 150 words of substantive content)","Only 2 defined applicability criteria (aircraft serial number ranges)","Single requirement referencing an external technical document (SAAB Service Bulletin)","Simple compliance deadline structure (fixed date with 14-day window)","No nested exceptions, conditional logic, or cross-references to other legislation","Background explanation provided in plain narrative form"],"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) for specific aircraft.\n\n**What it does:** It requires owners or operators of certain SAAB SF340 aeroplanes to install a warning placard (a visible label) on the power levers (the controls that adjust engine power). The placard must be installed according to instructions in SAAB Service Bulletin 340-76-033.\n\n**Why it matters:** An overseas incident revealed a serious safety risk. During descent, a crew accidentally moved both power levers below 'flight idle' (the minimum power setting normally used in flight). This caused both propellers to overspeed and both engines to lose power — a potentially catastrophic situation. The placard warns crews not to move the levers below flight idle while airborne.\n\n**Who must comply:** All SAAB SF 340A aircraft (serial numbers 004–159) and SF 340B aircraft (serial numbers 160–379).\n\n**When:** Within 14 days of 16 May 1994, unless already done."}},"importantCases":[],"_links":{"self":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-43-power-lever-placard","history":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-43-power-lever-placard/history","analysis":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-43-power-lever-placard/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-43-power-lever-placard/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-43-power-lever-placard/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/ad-sf340-43-power-lever-placard/documents"}}