{"id":"F2025L00471","name":"CASA EX35/25 — Cessna Aircraft (Supplemental Inspection Documents’ Requirements) Exemption 2025","slug":"casa-ex35-25-cessna-aircraft-supplemental-inspection-documents-requirements-exemption-2025","collection":"legislative_instrument","jurisdiction":"commonwealth","status":"in_force","isInForce":true,"actNumber":null,"makingDate":null,"administeringDepartment":null,"currentVersion":{"id":106273,"registerId":"commonwealth-F2025L00471-current","compilationNumber":null,"startDate":"2026-04-03","status":"InForce","reasons":null,"registeredAt":null},"sections":[{"sectionNumber":"1","sectionType":"section","heading":"CASA EX35/25 — Cessna Aircraft (Supplemental Inspection Documents’ Requirements) Exemption 2025","content":"Instrument number CASA EX35/25\n\nI, Daniel bernard o’hagan, Section Manager Drafting, Legal, International & Regulatory Affairs Division, a delegate of CASA, make this instrument under regulation 11.160 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998.\n\n\\[Signed D.B. O’Hagan\\]\n\nDanny O’Hagan  \nSection Manager Drafting  \nLegal, International & Regulatory Affairs Division\n\n28 March 2025\n\nCASA EX35/25 — Cessna Aircraft (Supplemental Inspection Documents’ Requirements) Exemption 2025\n\n1 Name\n\nThis instrument is CASA EX35/25 — Cessna Aircraft (Supplemental Inspection Documents’ Requirements) Exemption 2025.\n\n2 Duration\n\nThis instrument:\n\n(a) commences on 1 April 2025; and\n\n(b) is repealed at the end of 31 March 2028.\n\n3 Definitions\n\n> Note In this instrument, certain terms and expressions have the same meaning as they have in the Civil Aviation Act 1988 and the regulations. These include aerial work certificate, aircraft component, aircraft material, airworthiness directive, carrying out maintenance, CASA maintenance schedule, foreign type certificate, limited category aircraft, maintenance data, manufacturer’s maintenance schedule, non-scheduled air transport operation, private operation and registered operator.\n\nIn this instrument:\n\n> aerial application operation has the meaning given by regulation 137.010 of CASR.\n\n> airworthiness directive has the meaning given by regulation 39.001A of CASR.\n\n> Part 141 flight training has the meaning given by subregulation 141.015(1) of CASR.\n\n> Part 142 activity has the meaning given by subregulation 142.015(1) of CASR.\n\n> relevant aircraft means an aeroplane:\n\n> manufactured by Cessna Aircraft Company, or for which a foreign type certificate was issued to Cessna Aircraft Company; and\n\n2.  to which a relevant document applies; and\n3.  for which the aircraft’s maintenance schedule is the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule or the CASA maintenance schedule.\n\n> relevant document means:\n\n(a) for an aeroplane mentioned in paragraph 4(1)(a) or (b) — any SID; or\n\n(b) for an aeroplane mentioned in paragraph 4(1)(c) — any of the following documents issued by Cessna Aircraft Company, as the document exists from time to time:\n\n(i) Service Bulletin SEB03-1, Elevator Rivet Installation;\n\n(ii) Service Bulletin SB02-55-01, Elevator Rivet Installation;\n\n(iii) Service Bulletin SEB05-2, Fuselage Skin and Fuel Step Inspection and Modification;\n\n(iv) Service Bulletin SE84-15, Shimmy Dampener Installation Improvement;\n\n(v) each SID part that relates to the aircraft landing gear of a relevant aircraft and is identified with a supplemental inspection number beginning with “32-”.\n\n> SID means a supplemental inspection document issued by Cessna Aircraft Company, as the document exists from time to time.\n\n> Note Some SIDs were issued by Cessna Aircraft Company as maintenance data in the form of separate instructions specifying how maintenance on a relevant aircraft, or on an aircraft component or aircraft material of a relevant aircraft, is to be carried out, and others in the form of revisions to Cessna aircraft maintenance manuals for specific Cessna aircraft models where they are identified with the heading “Supplemental Inspection Document”. All SIDs are identified by a supplemental inspection number (e.g. “55-10-01”).\n\n4 Application\n\n(1) This instrument applies in relation to a relevant aircraft if:\n\n(a) the aircraft is used only for any of the following purposes:\n\n(i) to conduct a private operation;\n\n(ii) Part 141 flight training;\n\n(iii) a Part 142 activity;\n\n(iv) to facilitate a parachute descent under Part 105 of CASR;\n\n(v) to conduct an operation that is required to be conducted under the authority of an aerial work certificate;\n\n(vi) to conduct an aerial application operation; or\n\n(b) the aircraft is a limited category aircraft or Part 103 aircraft; or\n\n(c) the aircraft is a single-engine aeroplane, which is used only for any of the following purposes:\n\n(i) to conduct a non‑scheduled air transport operation;\n\n(ii) a purpose mentioned in paragraph (a).\n\n(2) The exemption granted under section 5, 6 or 7 applies to the person mentioned in the section, to the extent mentioned in the section, only if a current airworthiness directive does not require that maintenance carried out on a relevant aircraft be carried out in accordance with a relevant document.\n\n> Note See regulation 39.003 of CASR (Australian aircraft covered by airworthiness directive not to be operated).\n\n5 Exemption — registered operator\n\nThe registered operator of a relevant aircraft is exempt from compliance with subregulation 41(1) of CAR to the extent that the subregulation requires that the operator must ensure that the maintenance mentioned in the subregulation is required to be carried out on the aircraft in accordance with a relevant document.\n\n6 Exemption — person carrying out maintenance\n\nA person carrying out maintenance on a relevant aircraft is exempt from compliance with subregulation 42V(1) of CAR to the extent that the person must ensure that the maintenance is carried out in accordance with a relevant document.\n\n7 Exemption — person certifying maintenance\n\nA person certifying maintenance carried out on a relevant aircraft is exempt from compliance with subregulation 42ZP(1) of CAR to the extent that the subregulation requires that the person must not certify the completion of maintenance carried out on the aircraft, or on an aircraft component or aircraft material of the aircraft, if it was not carried out in accordance with a relevant document.\n\n> Note See paragraph 20AA(4)(d) of the Civil Aviation Act 1988 for an obligation relating to commencing a flight, or permitting a flight to commence, in an aircraft that is unsafe for flight. Having regard to that obligation, despite this instrument, the registered operator of a relevant aircraft may choose to continue to ensure its maintenance is carried out in accordance with a relevant document, to ensure the continued airworthiness of the aircraft. See CASA Airworthiness Bulletin AWB 02-048 Issue 8, Compliance with Cessna Supplemental Inspection Documents (SIDS) for further information.","sortOrder":0}],"analysis":{"flash_summary":{"complexity_score":6,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument stays within the original, stated purpose of providing a time-limited exemption from the requirement to carry out maintenance in accordance with certain Cessna SIDs for defined Cessna aircraft and uses. It does not expand obligations to new groups, add new regulatory tools, or extend coverage to other manufacturers. The instrument instead narrows applicability through specific categories of aircraft and operations, lists particular documents, and preserves higher-priority controls (airworthiness directives and statutory safety duties), so there is no indication of a significant change in scope beyond that stated purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple cross-references to outside instruments: Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (CASR) and specific CAR subregulations (41(1), 42V(1), 42ZP(1))","Several defined terms with layered meanings (e.g. 'relevant aircraft', 'relevant document', 'SID')","Conditional application rules with multiple alternative limbs in section 4(1) (different aircraft categories and uses)","Exception condition that exempts only where there is no current airworthiness directive requiring compliance (section 4(2))","Three distinct, parallel exemptions aimed at different legal actors (operator, person carrying out maintenance, certifier) (sections 5–7)","Mixture of general coverage (all SIDs for some aircraft) and very specific enumerated documents for others (list of several Service Bulletins in section 3)","Time-limited instrument (fixed commencement and repeal dates) adding temporal complexity (section 2)","Notes and interaction with statutory safety duties that require readers to consider other obligations outside the instrument (note after section 7 referencing Civil Aviation Act)"],"plain_english_summary":"**What this instrument does (mechanically)\n\n- It temporarily exempts certain Cessna aeroplanes and certain people who maintain or certify them from having to follow particular Cessna Supplemental Inspection Documents (SIDs) when doing maintenance. (See exemptions in sections 5–7.)\n\n- The exemption starts 1 April 2025 and ends 31 March 2028 (section 2).\n\n- The exemption only applies to aircraft and activities listed in the application rules (section 4). It does not apply if an airworthiness directive (a legally binding safety instruction issued by the regulator) currently requires that the maintenance be done in accordance with a relevant document (section 4(2)).\n\n**Who is affected\n\n- Registered operators (owners/operators) of the specified Cessna aeroplanes — they are relieved from the obligation to ensure maintenance is carried out in strict accordance with the listed SIDs to the extent described (section 5).\n\n- People who carry out maintenance on those aircraft — they are relieved from the obligation to carry out maintenance in exact accordance with the listed SIDs to the extent described (section 6).\n\n- People who certify maintenance (sign off that maintenance is complete) on those aircraft — they are relieved from the requirement not to sign off only if the work was done exactly in accordance with the listed SIDs, to the extent described (section 7).\n\n**Which aircraft and documents are covered (key filters)\n\n- Relevant aircraft are Cessna-manufactured aeroplanes or aeroplanes certificated to a Cessna foreign type certificate whose maintenance schedule is either the manufacturer’s maintenance schedule or the CASA maintenance schedule (definition of “relevant aircraft” in section 3).\n\n- The instrument applies only to aircraft used in certain ways: private flights, Part 141 flight training, Part 142 activities, parachute descents, operations under an aerial work certificate (including aerial application), limited category aircraft, Part 103 aircraft, and some single-engine aeroplanes used for non-scheduled air transport or the other listed purposes (section 4(1)).\n\n- For many affected aeroplanes the phrase ``relevant document'' means any SID issued by Cessna. For other specific models the instrument lists particular Cessna service bulletins and SID parts (section 3).\n\n**Why this matters (claimed purpose and the mechanics that produce effects)\n\n- The instrument’s stated effect is to remove a regulatory requirement that maintenance be done in strict accordance with certain Cessna SIDs for a defined set of aircraft and operations. That reduces a compliance obligation for operators, maintainers and certifiers (sections 5–7).\n\n- The instrument explicitly preserves higher-priority safety controls: it does not override any existing airworthiness directive that requires compliance with a relevant document (section 4(2)). The general statutory safety obligation to avoid commencing or permitting unsafe flights also continues to apply (note after section 7 referencing the Civil Aviation Act obligation).\n\n**Costs, incentives and trade-offs (practical implications)\n\n- Who pays / benefits: The immediate beneficiaries are the registered operators and maintenance providers of the affected Cessna aircraft — they face lower compliance costs and greater operational flexibility while the exemption is in force (sections 5–7). Those savings will be concentrated among those specific operators.\n\n- Safety and oversight trade-off: The exemption reduces the regulator-enforced requirement to follow manufacturer SIDs in specified circumstances. That increases reliance on other maintenance data, operator judgement and the professional standards of maintainers and certifiers. CASA leaves intact the stronger legal requirement set by any airworthiness directive (section 4(2)) and the general statutory duty about unsafe flights (note to section 7).\n\n- Incentives for behaviour: Operators and maintainers may substitute other approved maintenance data or practices for the SIDs where they judge appropriate. Certifiers retain discretion about signing off maintenance under their professional obligations, but the legal prohibition on certifying only if work strictly followed the SID is relaxed (section 7), which may change sign‑off practices.\n\n- Burden on oversight: CASA and inspectors may need to rely more on audits, risk-based oversight or ad hoc checks to ensure airworthiness if SIDs are not routinely used. That shifts some monitoring costs from routine documentation checks to targeted inspection and enforcement.\n\n- Effects on competition and private choice: Independent maintenance providers may gain more freedom to use alternative, demonstrably acceptable maintenance data, potentially lowering costs and increasing options for operators of the affected Cessna aircraft. Conversely, manufacturers’ ability to dictate specific inspection content by means of SIDs is reduced for the period and scope of the exemption.\n\n**Implementation and limits\n\n- The exemption is time-limited and specific in scope (sections 2 and 4). It applies only to the Cessna SIDs and listed service bulletins identified in the instrument (section 3).\n\n- It is framed as an exemption from particular subregulations of the Civil Aviation Regulations (CAR) (subregulation 41(1) for operators, 42V(1) for maintenance persons, and 42ZP(1) for certifiers), not as a replacement maintenance standard (sections 5–7). The underlying duties in the Civil Aviation Act remain in force.\n\n**Key references in the instrument**\n\n- Duration: section 2.  \n- Scope and applicability: section 4 (including the airworthiness‑directive override at 4(2)).  \n- Definitions of the covered aircraft and documents: section 3.  \n- Exemptions: sections 5 (registered operator), 6 (person carrying out maintenance), 7 (person certifying maintenance).  \n\n**Practical takeaway**\n\n- For the specified Cessna aeroplanes and uses, operators, maintainers and certifiers have a temporary legal exemption from being required to follow the listed Cessna SIDs exactly. The exemption is limited in time (to 31 March 2028), limited to listed aircraft and activities, and does not override any current airworthiness directive or the statutory duty to avoid operating unsafe aircraft."},"kimi_summary":{"content_quality":"ok","complexity_score":4,"scope_assessment":{"changed":false,"description":"This instrument appears consistent with its original purpose as a time-limited exemption from specific maintenance requirements. The scope is tightly constrained to Cessna SIDs and specific operational categories, with appropriate safety safeguards (airworthiness directive override, general safety duty preservation). No evidence of scope creep beyond the stated regulatory relief purpose."},"complexity_factors":["Multiple nested definitions: 'relevant aircraft' depends on 'relevant document', which has different meanings for different aircraft categories in paragraph 4(1)","Conditional application logic in section 4 with three alternative pathways (paragraphs a, b, and c) and multiple sub-conditions","Cross-references to external documents (specific Cessna Service Bulletins and SIDs) that 'exist from time to time' — meaning the exemption automatically updates if Cessna revises these documents","Three separate exemption sections (5, 6, 7) with similar but distinct legal effects on different parties (operators, maintenance personnel, certifiers)","Critical safety override condition in subsection 4(2) linking to airworthiness directives, creating an exception to the exemption","Reference to Civil Aviation Act obligation in the note to section 7, creating a parallel legal duty despite the exemption"],"plain_english_summary":"This CASA temporary exemption lets certain owners, mechanics and certifiers of older Cessna aircraft defer specific Supplemental Inspection Document (SID) requirements from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028, for private, training, parachute, aerial work, limited-category and some single-engine non‑scheduled operations. It cannot be used where an airworthiness directive mandates the SID, and aircraft must remain airworthy."},"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/casa-ex35-25-cessna-aircraft-supplemental-inspection-documents-requirements-exemption-2025","history":"/api/acts/casa-ex35-25-cessna-aircraft-supplemental-inspection-documents-requirements-exemption-2025/history","analysis":"/api/acts/casa-ex35-25-cessna-aircraft-supplemental-inspection-documents-requirements-exemption-2025/analysis","conflicts":"/api/acts/casa-ex35-25-cessna-aircraft-supplemental-inspection-documents-requirements-exemption-2025/conflicts","importantCases":"/api/acts/casa-ex35-25-cessna-aircraft-supplemental-inspection-documents-requirements-exemption-2025/important-cases","documents":"/api/acts/casa-ex35-25-cessna-aircraft-supplemental-inspection-documents-requirements-exemption-2025/documents"}}