AD/AMD 50/40 - Software Integrity Check and Enhanced Avionics System Upgrade

This Airworthiness Directive, titled "AMD Falcon 50 and 900 Series Aeroplanes , Software Integrity Check and Enhanced Avionics System Upgrade" and numbered AD/AMD 50/40 (4/2007), imposes mandatory inspection and modification work on a defined set of Dassault Falcon 900EX aeroplanes. Mechanically, it requires four things.

1. A software integrity check using a dedicated tool named “Flash Integrity Check” (FLICK) in accordance with Dassault Aviation Service Bulletin (SB) F900EX-298 dated 7 September 2006 or a later revision approved by the EASA. This is labelled in the Directive as Requirement 1.

2. A temporary amendment to Chapter 5-40 of the Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) to add a recurring inspection, specifically that AMM MP 45-403 "Software modules integrity check" be accomplished at 40 day intervals. This is Requirement 2 and is linked to Requirement 1 by compliance timing.

3. A physical modification of the aircraft in accordance with SB F900EX-304 (modification M5255) dated 8 February 2007 or later EASA-approved revision. The Directive states this modification is a terminating action for the temporary repetitive inspection requirement introduced by Requirement 2, and on completion the temporary AMM amendment may be removed. This is Requirement 3.

4. For aircraft fitted with the advanced graphics module (AGM) and enhanced ground proximity warning module (EGPWM) where those modules have part numbers prior to specific thresholds (AGM P/N prior to 7026545-1904 and EGPWM P/N prior to 7028419-1904), perform a FLICK check in accordance with AMM MP 45-401. This is Requirement 4, and it applies after each operational software loading.

The Directive fixes compliance timing: Requirements 1 and 2 must be completed no later than 40 days after the effective date, Requirement 3 within 12 months after the effective date, and Requirement 4 after each operational software load. The Directive becomes effective on 12 April 2007. The document records the background rationale supplied by EASA, namely discovery that some Honeywell EPIC avionics software integrity checks were not fully implemented, creating a risk of software corruption during uploads or randomly, and that the terminating software load also corrects an untimely inhibition of "flap asymmetry" detection below 200ft, which may not conform to EASA CS 25.671(c)(1).

The Directive is signed by the Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority, dated 26 February 2007. Notes in the Directive allow inclusion of a copy of the Directive into the AMM as a temporary change and refer to EASA AD 2007-0032.

The Directive operates around a few technical and procedural concepts explicitly set out in the text. Each concept is proceduralised within the Directive, meaning the text ties an action to a named document, tool, or AMM procedure.

• Flash Integrity Check (FLICK). Defined in the Directive as a "dedicated software tool named 'Flash Integrity Check' (FLICK)" and mandated for use in Requirement 1 and Requirement 4. The Directive requires FLICK to be used "in accordance with the accomplishment instructions of Dassault Aviation Falcon SB F900EX-298 dated 7 September 2006 or later Revision approved by the EASA" for Requirement 1, and per AMM MP 45-401 for Requirement 4. The Directive therefore delegates the technical procedure to the SB and the AMM procedure.

• Aircraft Maintenance Manual (AMM) amendment. Requirement 2 directs a temporary amendment to Chapter 5-40 of the AMM to indicate that AMM MP 45-403 "Software modules integrity check" is to be accomplished every 40 days. Note 1 allows a copy of the Directive to be included in the AMM as a temporary change to record the inspection schedule. The Directive also provides that the temporary AMM amendment may be removed after the terminating modification in Requirement 3 is completed.

• SB F900EX-304 (modification M5255). Requirement 3 mandates a modification performed "in accordance with the accomplishment instructions of SB F900EX-304 (modification M5255) dated 8 February 2007 or later Revision approved by the EASA." The Directive labels this modification a "terminating action" for the temporary repetitive inspections required by Requirement 2.

• Part number (P/N) conditional checks. Requirement 4 applies only if the AGM and EGPWM modules have P/Ns that are earlier than specified thresholds: AGM prior to 7026545-1904 and EGPWM prior to 7028419-1904. For those units, the Directive mandates FLICK checks per AMM MP 45-401 "after each operational software loading." The text therefore ties inspection frequency to both hardware identification (P/N) and software loading events.

• Relationship to EASA materials and standards. Multiple actions in the Directive must be carried out "or later Revision approved by the EASA," and the background cites nonconformance with EASA Certification Specification CS 25.671(c)(1) as the reason for the software correction. Note 2 explicitly refers to "EASA AD 2007-0032."

• Timings and effective date. The Directive establishes a concrete timetable: Requirements 1 and 2 "No later than 40 days after the effective date," Requirement 3 "Within 12 months after the effective date," and Requirement 4 "After each operational software loading." The Directive itself "becomes effective on 12 April 2007."

The Directive specifies applicability in a narrow and enumerated way: "Falcon 900EX aeroplanes, serial numbers (S/N) 97, 120 to 170 inclusive and Falcon 900EX (version F900DX) aeroplanes S/N 601 to 607 inclusive." That list yields a closed set of aircraft to which the Directive applies. Effected parties therefore include, at minimum:

• Owners and operators of those specific Dassault Falcon 900EX and F900DX aeroplanes. They are the primary parties required to arrange compliance with the requirements and to schedule the tests, AMM amendments, and modifications within the specified time frames.

• Maintenance organisations and certifying staff responsible for performing software integrity checks (using the FLICK tool), making AMM amendments, carrying out AMM MP procedures, and executing SB F900EX-304 (M5255). These organisations must have the capability to run FLICK and to implement the SB modifications or must arrange for third-party providers who can.

• Aircraft technical records custodians who maintain the AMM and who decide how to implement the temporary AMM amendment. Note 1 permits a copy of the Directive to be included in the AMM as a temporary change to record the schedule, so document-control people will be engaged.

• Manufacturers and suppliers of the affected avionics modules. The Directive explicitly identifies the AGM and EGPWM modules by part numbers and places an additional recurring obligation tied to those P/Ns. The P/N cutoffs determine whether an aircraft must undergo the "after each operational software loading" FLICK checks under AMM MP 45-401.

• Regulatory authorities and delegated officials. The Directive is issued under the authority of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA), signed by a CASA Delegate (David Punshon). The Directive also references EASA approvals for SB revisions and EASA AD 2007-0032, so EASA plays a role in approving the implementing documents and revisions.

• Flight operators and dispatch/airworthiness control. The recurring 40-day inspection interval and the "after each operational software loading" rule create operational and scheduling impacts. Dispatch and flight operations staff must coordinate aircraft availability and maintenance windows to meet the inspection and modification timelines.

The Directive does not expand applicability beyond the serial numbers listed. It does not purport to impose obligations on other types of Falcon aircraft, on other serial numbers, on passengers, or on air traffic services. The Directive ties actions to specific SBs and AMM procedures; parties who cannot access or execute those SBs and AMM procedures (for example, certain third-party maintenance shops without the SB or EASA approvals) will need to arrange competent providers that can comply.

The Directive frames a set of duties that attach to the applicable aeroplanes and those who maintain them. It also contains two explicit "Notes" that give limited documentation rights or references.

Mandatory duties

• Perform the FLICK integrity check in accordance with SB F900EX-298 dated 7 September 2006 or later revision approved by EASA. This is Requirement 1 and must be done "No later than 40 days after the effective date of this Directive." The Directive assigns the procedural details to that SB and the FLICK tool.

• Make a temporary amendment to AMM Chapter 5-40 so that AMM MP 45-403 "Software modules integrity check" is to be done at 40 day intervals. This is Requirement 2 and shares the 40-day compliance deadline with Requirement 1. The text states this is a "temporary" AMM amendment.

• Modify the aircraft per SB F900EX-304 (modification M5255) dated 8 February 2007 or later Revision approved by EASA. This is Requirement 3 and must be completed within 12 months after the effective date. The Directive states explicitly that this modification "is considered to be a terminating action for the temporary repetitive inspection requirements introduced by the Requirement 2 AMM amendment" and that the temporary AMM amendment "may be removed" thereafter.

• For aircraft with AGM and EGPWM modules with P/Ns prior to the stated thresholds, perform a FLICK check per AMM MP 45-401 "after each operational software loading." This is Requirement 4 and the compliance timing is event-driven: after each software load.

Documentation and related rights

• Note 1: "To record the temporary inspection schedule, a copy of this Directive may be included in of the AMM as a temporary change." The Directive therefore permits operators to record the schedule by placing the Directive in the AMM as a temporary change. This is phrased as permissive and is a documentation option rather than a separate duty.

• Note 2: "EASA AD 2007-0032 refers." This is a reference-only note that indicates the Directive is part of a network of regulatory documents; it does not itself impose requirements but points to related EASA material.

Delegation and approvals

• Multiple requirements are cast with a dependency on EASA approval. Requirement 1 and Requirement 3 both require the "SB ... or later Revision approved by the EASA." The Directive therefore requires that implementing documentation be either the specified SB revision or a later revision that EASA has approved. That creates a duty to ensure that the exact SB used is EASA-approved.

The Directive sets out compliance actions and deadlines but does not include a schedule of penalties or an enforcement regime in its text. The only enforcement-adjacent statements in the source are:

• The Directive "becomes effective on 12 April 2007" and it sets explicit compliance deadlines: Requirements 1 and 2 "No later than 40 days after the effective date," Requirement 3 "Within 12 months after the effective date," and Requirement 4 "After each operational software loading." These fixed times impose obligations that create a compliance window.

• The document is executed by a CASA Delegate, David Punshon, and dated 26 February 2007. The presence of a regulatory signature identifies the issuing authority but the Directive text does not itself recite sanctions, fines, certificate suspension, or administrative enforcement steps.

What the Directive does not do, in the text provided

• It does not specify criminal, civil, or administrative penalties for non-compliance. There is no clause in the provided text that states consequences such as grounding, withdrawal of Certificate of Airworthiness, fines, or prosecution tied directly to failure to comply with this Directive.

• It does not outline an enforcement process, appeal rights, or reporting obligations beyond the technical requirements themselves.

Implications that can be read from the text without importing external rules

• The Directive sets binding technical obligations and timeframes. Non-compliance with a Directive of this type is, by implication within regulatory practice, likely to have airworthiness consequences, but the Directive itself does not articulate those consequences. The text relies on the reader to recognise the Directive as an airworthiness mandate (signed by the CASA Delegate) and to comply within the specified periods.

• The Directive requires work to be performed in accordance with SBs "or later Revision approved by the EASA." That creates a duty to ensure that the version of the SB used has EASA approval. The need for EASA-approved revisions introduces a compliance step that interacts with approvals processes; failure to use an EASA-approved SB could be grounds for non-compliance even if the technical work is materially similar.

If an operator needs explicit statements about sanctions, administrative remedies, or appeal mechanisms, those do not appear in the Directive text and would need to be sought from the issuing authority's general regulatory framework rather than from this Directive itself.

The Directive explicitly references and depends upon other regulatory and technical instruments, creating a chain of interaction rather than operating in isolation.

Interaction with EASA materials and approvals

• Several requirements are qualified by the phrase "or later Revision approved by the EASA." Requirement 1 requires use of SB F900EX-298 "dated 7 September 2006 or later Revision approved by the EASA." Requirement 3 requires SB F900EX-304 (modification M5255) "dated 8 February 2007 or later Revision approved by the EASA." Those textual qualifications create a legal dependency on EASA's approval process for later SB revisions. Implementers must ensure the SB revision used is EASA-approved.

• Note 2 states "EASA AD 2007-0032 refers." The Directive therefore situates itself alongside an EASA Airworthiness Directive; it is part of a regulatory network in which EASA's AD 2007-0032 is cross-referenced. The provided text does not reproduce the EASA AD or specify its content, but the reference indicates related action at the EASA level.

Interaction with EASA Certification Standards

• The background explains the terminating software load "includes a software correction for the untimely inhibition of the 'flap asymmetry' detection below 200ft," and that this correction "is mandated to correct a situation that may not conform to EASA CS 25.671 (c) (1)." The Directive therefore addresses a potential non-conformance against an EASA Certification Specification. The Directive does not itself amend certification standards, but it directs specific remedial action to align the aircraft with CS 25.671(c)(1) as interpreted by the regulator.

Interaction with operator documentation and maintenance manuals

• The Directive mandates a temporary AMM amendment (Chapter 5-40) to set a 40-day inspection interval and later permits the removal of that temporary amendment after the terminating modification. That change interacts directly with an operator's AMM-controlled maintenance programme and with the AMM as a regulatory and operational document.

Interaction with supplier/manufacturer service bulletins

• The Directive requires actions "in accordance with" designated Dassault Aviation Service Bulletins. Those SBs contain the technical instructions and therefore form part of the set of legal documents to be followed for compliance. The Directive does not supplant the SBs; instead it makes compliance with SB procedures mandatory for the aircraft to meet the Directive.

The text furnishes a limited and precise set of amendment-related data points.

• Identification and numbering. The document is presented as "AD/AMD 50/40" with an internal designation "4/2007" appearing multiple times in the header lines. The "AMD" in the header indicates an amendment format, and "4/2007" is the AD/AMD issue identifier.

• Service Bulletin dates. The Directive refers to two Dassault Aviation Service Bulletins that are integral to its implementation:

  • SB F900EX-298 dated 7 September 2006, which contains the "accomplishment instructions" for using the FLICK tool for Requirement 1.
  • SB F900EX-304 (modification M5255) dated 8 February 2007, which contains the modification instructions for Requirement 3 and is described as the terminating action for the temporary inspection regime.

• Effective date and signature. The Directive is dated 26 February 2007 (signature by the CASA Delegate David Punshon) and states explicitly that it "becomes effective on 12 April 2007." Thus there is a gap between signature and effectiveness of approximately six weeks.

• Revision approvals. Both SB references are qualified by "or later Revision approved by the EASA." That creates a dynamic element to amendment history: subsequent SB revisions approved by EASA after the dates given would also be acceptable means of compliance. The Directive therefore contemplates future SB revisions and ties its operative instructions to EASA approval status.

• Temporary AMM amendment and removal. The Directive creates a temporary AMM amendment obligation (Requirement 2) and links removal of that temporary amendment to completion of the SB F900EX-304 modification (Requirement 3). The Directive therefore contains an internal life-cycle for its own temporary amendment: introduction (within 40 days) and removal (upon terminating action within 12 months).

• Cross-reference. Note 2 says "EASA AD 2007-0032 refers." The Directive does not reproduce EASA AD 2007-0032 but indicates that the AD and its amendment history are related.

What is not in the amendment history

• The Directive does not contain a history of prior amendments to this specific AD/AMD beyond the current identification or show subsequent amendments. It does not list earlier versions, nor does it show later cancellations or superseding ADs. The text contains several duplicated header lines and some formatting repetition, but those are presentational rather than substantive.

The provided Directive text contains no litigation history. It names no court cases, no administrative appeals, and no precedent decisions. The only legal references are to EASA certification material and to EASA AD 2007-0032. The Directive is administrative in nature and does not discuss disputes, appeals, or prior compliance litigation in its wording.

Consequences for practice

• There is no reported litigation arising from this Directive recorded in the document. Practitioners seeking cases or challenge history must consult external records of CASA enforcement actions, administrative appeals, or civil proceedings, because such references do not appear in the Directive itself.

• The Directive does not set out an appeal or review process. The absence of procedural appeal language in the Directive means that any contest to its validity or to enforcement actions that arise from it would rely on the broader administrative and judicial review mechanisms that exist outside the text. Those mechanisms are not specified here.

In short, the Directive provides no litigation-related material. It is silent on past or future legal challenges in the text supplied.

The Directive contains several specific technical, procedural, and drafting features that can cause operational or compliance errors if overlooked.

1. Narrow serial-number applicability. Applicability is explicitly limited to "Falcon 900EX aeroplanes, serial numbers (S/N) 97, 120 to 170 inclusive and Falcon 900EX (version F900DX) aeroplanes S/N 601 to 607 inclusive." Operators must check aircraft serial numbers precisely. Failure to confirm a serial number may cause an operator to apply the requirements incorrectly to aircraft not covered or fail to apply them to aircraft that are covered.

2. Dual compliance windows. Requirements 1 and 2 share a 40-day deadline after the effective date, but Requirement 3 has a 12-month deadline, and Requirement 4 is event-driven ("after each operational software loading"). Operators must manage both calendar-based and event-driven compliance tasks. Treating the 12-month modification as optional would be incorrect because it is mandatory within the specified time.

3. Part number thresholds for Requirement 4. Requirement 4 applies only when AGM and EGPWM module P/Ns are "prior to 7026545-1904 (AGM) and 7028419-1904 (EGPWM)." If an operator misreads P/N conventions (for example, interpreting "prior to" as meaning something other than alphabetical or numerical ordering) there is risk of misapplication. The Directive ties the extra check frequency to precise P/Ns.

4. SB revision and EASA approval dependency. Both SBs are required "or later Revision approved by the EASA." Implementers must ensure the exact SB revision used is EASA-approved. Using a later SB revision that lacks EASA approval would not meet the Directive's textual requirement.

5. Temporary AMM amendment lifecycle. Requirement 2 is explicitly temporary and linked to Requirement 3 as a terminating action. If an operator removes the temporary AMM amendment before completing the terminating modification, that removal would be contrary to the Directive. Conversely, operators might forget to remove the temporary amendment after performing the modification and thereby retain an unnecessary 40-day inspection cycle.

6. Documentation option wording. Note 1 permits "a copy of this Directive may be included in of the AMM as a temporary change." The phrase includes a small drafting glitch ("in of the AMM") and uses permissive language "may be included." Relying on this single permissive method for recording may conflict with an operator’s established document-control rules. The Note is not mandatory, and operators should ensure that whatever method they use for recording the temporary schedule complies with their own AMM control system as well as this Directive.

This section sets out a practical, source-grounded checklist to satisfy the Directive's requirements. Each step references the Directive's procedural anchors.

1. Confirm applicability.

   • Check each Falcon 900EX and F900DX aeroplane in the fleet against the serial-number list in the Directive: S/N 97, 120 to 170 inclusive for Falcon 900EX; S/N 601 to 607 inclusive for Falcon 900EX (version F900DX). Only aircraft with those serial numbers are within scope.

2. Verify relevant SB revisions and EASA approval.

   • Obtain Dassault Aviation SB F900EX-298 dated 7 September 2006 and SB F900EX-304 dated 8 February 2007, and confirm whether later revisions exist. Ensure that the version of each SB you will use is "approved by the EASA," because both Requirements 1 and 3 permit "or later Revision approved by the EASA." Do not proceed on the basis of an unapproved revision.

3. Schedule and perform the FLICK integrity check.

   • Requirement 1: Arrange to perform the software check using the FLICK tool "in accordance with the accomplishment instructions of Dassault Aviation Falcon SB F900EX-298 ... or later Revision approved by the EASA." Complete this within 40 days after the Directive's effective date. For aircraft with older AGM/EGPWM P/Ns (see step 6), also plan FLICK checks after each operational software loading per AMM MP 45-401.

4. Implement the temporary AMM amendment.

   • Requirement 2: Within 40 days of the effective date, make a temporary amendment to the AMM Chapter 5-40 reflecting that AMM MP 45-403 "Software modules integrity check" is to be accomplished at 40 day intervals. Note 1 permits you to include a copy of the Directive in the AMM as a temporary change to record the inspection schedule. Whichever method you use, ensure your AMM control procedures document the temporary amendment and who is responsible for the recurring inspections.

5. Arrange and carry out the terminating modification.

   • Requirement 3: Schedule and perform the modification per SB F900EX-304 (modification M5255) "dated 8 February 2007 or later Revision approved by the EASA" within 12 months after the effective date. On completion, you may remove the temporary AMM amendment that instituted the 40-day check intervals because the Directive states the modification "is considered to be a terminating action" for those temporary requirements.