AD/B767/216 - Frequency Converters - Medical and Galley Utility Outlets

The Directive revolves around a small set of interlocking technical and regulatory concepts stated in the text.

• Applicability: The Directive applies only to Boeing 767-300 series aeroplanes identified in SB 767-25-0334 Revision 1 (19 June 2003). The text limits the universe of affected aircraft to those explicitly identified in that service bulletin. This creates a cut-off: aircraft outside that SB identification are not within the Directive’s stated scope.

• Two-path remediation: Requirement 1 offers a binary compliance choice. Option (a) is replacement with a modified frequency converter following the SB’s Accomplishment Instructions; option (b) is removal and deactivation of the converters and capping and stowing of the wire bundles in accordance with specific paragraphs (B.1-B.6) of the Accomplishment Instructions. The Directive does not offer other remedies within its own text.

• Spare parts control: Requirement 2 bars installation of frequency converters that have not been modified per the Accomplishment Instructions as replacement spares as of the Directive’s effective date. This moves the Directive beyond in-service corrections to controlling future maintenance/parts replenishment choices.

• Temporal flexibility and prior compliance: The Directive accepts actions previously done in accordance with an earlier SB (7 November 2002) as satisfying Requirement 1, and it accepts later SB revisions approved by the FAA as AMOCs to FAA AD 2005-24-04 as alternatives for compliance. The text therefore ties compliance to a chain of service bulletins and FAA approvals rather than to a single immutable work instruction.

• Safety mechanism: The background specifies the hazard chain: a hard short at the converter output can produce continuous current; continuous current can overheat undersized output wiring; overheated wiring can cause failure of a wire bundle and cause adverse effects on other systems sharing the bundle. The Directive is expressly issued to prevent overheating of the output wiring and the consequent risks to shared systems.

• Regulatory referencing: The Directive references FAA AD 2005-24-04 Amdt 39-14384, indicating coordination or alignment with a prior FAA airworthiness action. It also notes the acceptable use of FAA-approved AMOCs.

These concepts govern the Directive’s mechanics: define affected aircraft, require corrective action within 18 months or immediate spare part control, and permit certain prior or FAA-approved variations. The document therefore creates compliance obligations bounded by technical instructions in an identified Boeing SB and by FAA AMOC approvals.

The Directive’s text makes clear who carries legal and practical obligations:

• Registered operators/owners of Boeing 767-300 series aeroplanes identified in SB 767-25-0334 Revision 1 are the primary parties who must carry out Requirement 1 within 18 months of the effective date. The Directive does not alter registration status or ownership, but it imposes mandatory maintenance or modification actions on specified aircraft.

• Maintenance organisations and engineers charged with accomplishing the work per the Accomplishment Instructions of SB 767-25-0334 are affected operationally. They must implement either replacement with modified frequency converters or removal/deactivation following the SB paragraphs B.1-B.6. The text requires compliance “in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions,” so the maintenance scope and steps are driven by those SB instructions.

• Parts suppliers and maintenance inventory controllers are affected by Requirement 2: as of the Directive’s effective date, unmodified frequency converters may not be installed as replacement spares. Entities that supply or install spares must ensure installed parts have been modified per the SB or else are not used.

• Regulatory compliance officers within airlines and maintenance organisations have obligations to ensure the 18‑month compliance timeline is met, to record prior compliant actions done under the earlier SB dated 7 November 2002 if relevant, and to track AMOCs approved by the FAA for later SB revisions.

• The Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) is the issuing regulator represented by the Delegate’s signature; the Directive is a CASA instrument that imposes mandatory corrective action within Australia’s aviation regulatory framework. The Directive also references FAA actions, so there is a cross‑jurisdictional coordination element affecting how operators treat FAA-approved AMOCs.

• Indirectly, passengers and third parties bear safety externalities: the Directive is issued because of a hazard that could affect other systems on affected aircraft. Operators are required to take costed safety action to mitigate that risk; while not named, these stakeholders are the residual beneficiaries of the mandated work.

The Directive does not explicitly name lessees, financiers or insurers, but by placing a maintenance obligation on registered aircraft it creates contractual and economic implications for any party with a maintenance covenant or financial interest in an affected aeroplane. The text does not specify cost allocation mechanisms; therefore, who ultimately pays (owner, lessee, insurer) depends on commercial arrangements outside the Directive, but operationally the party running the maintenance programme must ensure the work is done and that non‑compliant spares are not installed.

The Directive articulates several concrete duties and a small set of recognised rights or acceptances.

Duties:

• Complete corrective actions in accordance with Requirement 1 within 18 months of the effective date (effective date: 16 February 2006). The operator must either perform the replacement with modified frequency converters according to the Accomplishment Instructions of SB 767-25-0334 Revision 1 or remove/deactivate the converters and cap and stow the wiring per paragraphs B.1-B.6 of those instructions. The duty is explicit: “If not previously accomplished, either: a. Replace … or b. Remove and deactivate …” This is a binary duty, not discretionary beyond the choice of those two options.

• Do not install unmodified frequency converters as replacement spares as of the effective date. Requirement 2 gives a continuing duty to avoid introducing non‑compliant parts into the fleet post‑effective date.

• Ensure documentation of prior compliance where appropriate: actions accomplished before the effective date in accordance with SB dated 7 November 2002 are expressly accepted as satisfying Requirement 1. Operators who rely on such prior work have a duty to be able to demonstrate that the work conformed to that earlier SB.

• Track and implement later SB revisions that are accepted if they are approved by the FAA as AMOCs to FAA AD 2005-24-04; the Directive states those later revisions are “considered acceptable for compliance with the equivalent Requirements of this Directive.” The duty therefore includes monitoring FAA approvals for alternative methods of compliance and implementing those where applicable.

Rights/recognitions in the Directive:

• The Directive recognises a right to use prior work as compliant if it was done per SB dated 7 November 2002. This is an affirmative concession: past actions may discharge current obligations if performed to that earlier SB.

• There is a conditional right to rely on later revisions of the SB if they are FAA-approved AMOCs to the referenced FAA AD. That is, the Directive accepts FAA-approved alternative methods of compliance as satisfying the Directive’s requirements where later SB revisions have that FAA approval.

What the duties do not include:

• The Directive does not provide an express right to adopt alternative engineering solutions other than the two listed options, other than through the FAA AMOC route tied to later SB revisions. It does not create a CASA‑specific AMOC process in text; instead, it explicitly points to FAA AMOC approvals as acceptable.

• The Directive does not set out record‑keeping formats, reporting processes, or explicit certification steps beyond performing the specified actions in the SB Accomplishment Instructions. Any record‑keeping duties follow from standard regulatory practice outside this text.

Mechanically, the duties bind operators and maintainers to either replace or deactivate the specific frequency converters, and to ensure that non‑modified spares are not installed. These duties create operational, parts‑management, scheduling and potentially grounded time consequences that operators must manage within the 18‑month compliance window.

The Directive text itself does not specify monetary penalties, criminal offences, or enforcement procedures. It is an Airworthiness Directive issued by the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) Delegate and therefore functions as a mandatory safety direction within the regulator’s statutory framework. The document does not set out sanctions, inspection regimes, or enforcement steps in explicit terms.

From the Directive’s mechanics, enforcement implications follow:

• Compliance obligation: the Directive is binding on the operators of aircraft identified in the SB. Because it is an AD issued by CASA, failure to comply would leave the operator non‑conforming with a regulatory airworthiness directive. The text does not set out specific enforcement measures, but non‑compliance by an operator would typically be a regulatory breach under the CASA framework as represented by the issuance of the Directive.

• Evidence of compliance: the Directive accepts prior compliance if performed under SB dated 7 November 2002, and accepts FAA‑approved AMOCs via later SB revisions. Practically, enforcement would rely on demonstrating documented completion of the Accomplishment Instructions or reliance on accepted AMOCs. The Directive implies that records showing conformity to the SB or to FAA AMOC approvals will be the basis for accepting compliance, though it does not spell out the documentary standard.

• Parts control enforcement: Requirement 2’s prohibition on installing unmodified frequency converters as spares creates an ongoing compliance point. Enforcement would require audits or inspections of installed parts and maintenance records; the Directive does not provide the audit procedure or penalty matrix.

• Delegation and decision-making: the signature block shows the Directive was issued by a CASA Delegate (Charles Lenarcic) on 16 December 2005. The text does not elaborate on CASA’s internal enforcement powers. The absence of penalty text in the Directive means that details of enforcement, including possible sanctions for non‑compliance and mechanisms for corrective timelines imposed by the regulator, rest in the broader regulatory or statutory regime outside this document.

• Interaction with FAA AD: because the Directive references FAA AD 2005-24-04 and accepts FAA AMOCs, enforcement may involve cross‑jurisdictional evidence where FAA approvals are invoked. The Directive’s acceptance of FAA AMOCs suggests CASA will consider FAA approval persuasive for compliance, which affects the enforcement posture where operators rely on FAA‑approved methods.

In short, the Directive imposes binding duties but does not itself specify penalties. Enforcement would be exercised by CASA under its broader statutory powers, with compliance demonstrable via adherence to the specified SB instructions or accepted FAA AMOCs. The absence of explicit enforcement steps in the text introduces implementation reliance on CASA’s general enforcement framework and on maintenance records.

The Directive explicitly ties itself to other regulatory instruments and technical documents, creating a web of interdependent compliance sources.

• Link to Boeing Service Bulletin(s): The Directive’s Applicability and substantive Requirements are stated “in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of SB 767-25-0334 Revision 1 (19 June 2003)” and it accepts actions done under SB 767-25-0334 dated 7 November 2002 as satisfying Requirement 1. Therefore, compliance under this AD requires following Boeing’s SB instructions. The SBs function as normative technical instructions embedded by reference into the Directive. The Directive thus imposes a legal duty to implement manufacturer SB instructions for the specified aircraft.

• Reference to FAA Airworthiness Directive: The Directive notes “FAA AD 2005-24-04 Amdt 39-14384 refers.” It further states that “Later revisions of the above SB, approved by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an Alternate Method of Compliance (AMOC) to FAA AD 2005-24-04, are considered acceptable for compliance with the equivalent Requirements of this Directive.” This creates a specific cross‑jurisdictional recognition: FAA‑approved AMOCs to the referenced FAA AD are acceptable to meet this CASA AD’s requirements. The Directive therefore imports FAA decisions on AMOCs as an accepted means of compliance, binding CASA’s compliance result to FAA approvals in that narrow channel.

• Implantation within CASA's regulatory framework: While the Directive itself does not recite the broader statutory provisions under which CASA acts, it is a CASA instrument signed by a Delegate. The Directive therefore operates within CASA’s statutory airworthiness regime. The Directive does not specify interaction with other Australian statutes (for example, criminal law, contract law, safety reporting requirements), but implementing parties will need to align their responses with their obligations under those broader laws and under their own operating certificates.

• Manufacturing/parts law and maintenance standards: Requirement 2 impacts parts management: unmodified frequency converters may not be installed as replacement spares. That obligation interacts with supply, certification and maintenance standards governing parts installation. The Directive does not restate those other rules but modifies parts‑use choices under the applicable maintenance regime.

• Effect on contractual relationships: The Directive imposes a work requirement on operators and maintenance organisations; it therefore has indirect contractual effects (for example, between lessor and lessee, or operator and maintenance provider). The Directive does not address or alter contractual allocation of costs, nor does it change certification of an aircraft for commercial operation directly; however, compliance (or failure to comply) will affect the aircraft’s airworthiness status under CASA’s framework.

• No express interaction with other domestic ADs: The text does not reference other Australian ADs, but by referencing FAA AD 2005‑24‑04 it creates a specific coordination line with FAA actions. The Directive therefore sits alongside other safety directives but does not, in its text, assert precedence or address conflict resolution with other ADs; in practice, operators must comply with all applicable ADs concurrently.

In effect, this AD embeds manufacturer SB instructions and accepts FAA AMOCs as compliant alternatives, thereby configuring CASA compliance duties through incorporated technical documents and foreign regulator approvals. Parties must therefore manage multi‑document compliance: the AD, the cited SB(s), and potential FAA AMOC documents.

The Directive text includes limited amendment history details and explicit acceptance of certain prior and later documents, creating a constrained amendment trail.

• Effective date and issuance: The AD becomes effective on 16 February 2006 and is signed/dated 16 December 2005 by the CASA Delegate (Charles Lenarcic). These dates establish the Directive’s entry into force and the administrative action that issued it.

• Prior SB acceptance: The Directive explicitly accepts actions accomplished before the effective date if done in accordance with SB 767-25-0334 dated 7 November 2002, stating: “Actions accomplished before the effective date of this Directive in accordance with SB 767-25-0334, dated 7 November 2002, are acceptable for compliance with Requirement 1.” This records an acceptance of an earlier service bulletin revision as effectively amending or satisfying the Directive retrospectively for earlier compliance actions.

• Later SB revisions and FAA AMOCs: The Directive records that “Later revisions of the above SB, approved by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an Alternate Method of Compliance (AMOC) to FAA AD 2005-24-04, are considered acceptable for compliance with the equivalent Requirements of this Directive.” This creates a forward‑looking, conditional amendment path: later Boeing SB revisions that secure FAA AMOC approvals will be taken as acceptable for compliance with this Directive’s equivalent requirements. The Directive therefore allows the technical instructions it mandates to be varied by later SBs that obtain FAA AMOC approval.

• Cross‑reference to FAA AD 2005-24-04: The Directive contains the note “FAA AD 2005-24-04 Amdt 39-14384 refers,” which ties the CASA measure to a specific FAA AD. While this is a reference rather than an amendment history entry, it indicates the CASA Directive’s genesis in a safety issue previously addressed by the FAA and suggests that FAA actions influenced the content and amendment pathway of the CASA AD.

• No further amendments within the document: The text provided does not include any subsequent CASA amendments, supersessions, revocations or replacement AD numbers. It does not list amendments to the Directive itself beyond the conditional acceptance of later SBs with FAA AMOCs.

Consequence for recordkeeping and compliance: Operators must track both the legacy SB dated 7 November 2002 (accepted for prior compliance), SB Revision 1 (dated 19 June 2003, expressly cited as the operative SB for Applicability), and any later SB revisions that secure FAA AMOC approval, because those documents alter whether a particular action satisfies the Directive. The Directive’s amendment history is therefore largely mediated through the external SB revision process and through FAA AMOC approvals, rather than through a sequence of distinct CASA AD amendments recorded in the Directive text itself.

The Directive text contains no litigation history, judicial decisions, or references to legal proceedings. There are no cases named in the document and no mention of disputes, challenges, or enforcement proceedings. The only authorities referenced are the Boeing Service Bulletins (SB 767-25-0334 in two dated versions) and FAA AD 2005-24-04 Amdt 39-14384.

Given the absence of litigation detail in the text, the Directive does not record any court or tribunal interpretation, nor does it cite precedent or adjudicated enforcement actions. The document’s silence on litigation implies that any legal disputes, if they occurred, are not recorded in this Directive. The text does, however, establish enforceable duties and cross‑jurisdictional recognition of FAA AMOCs, which are potential focal points for disputes in practice (for example, disputes about whether prior work complied with a specific SB, whether a later SB revision and FAA AMOC cover an operator’s chosen corrective method, or whether a particular part is an “unmodified” frequency converter). But none of those hypothetical areas of contention are documented in the Directive as litigated matters.

For practitioners assessing legal risk, the Directive’s content suggests the contours of likely litigation or dispute topics without alleging any actual cases:

• Disputes about compliance sufficiency: Whether prior work performed under SB dated 7 November 2002 actually meets the Directive’s requirements could be a contested factual-normative issue; the Directive accepts such prior actions only if they were done in accordance with that SB.

• Disputes about AMOC acceptance: Where an operator relies on a later SB revision that the FAA has approved as an AMOC to FAA AD 2005-24-04, a question could arise whether CASA acceptance applies in the specific factual matrix if documentation is incomplete. The Directive states such FAA-approved SB revisions are “considered acceptable,” which leaves factual proof as the implementation touchpoint.

• Parts‑installation disputes: Requirement 2 flatly prohibits installation of unmodified frequency converters as replacement spares as of the effective date; disputes could arise about whether a particular unit is “modified” or “unmodified” per the Accomplishment Instructions. The Directive itself provides no adjudicative guidance on evidentiary standards for such disputes.

Because the Directive includes no litigation history, researchers or lawyers seeking precedents must look beyond this text to CASA enforcement records, court databases, or administrative proceedings (not included here) to find any actual cases or enforcement decisions relating to AD/B767/216.

The Directive’s concise text contains several potential pitfalls in compliance interpretation and operational implementation. The following issues are grounded in the Directive’s exact language.

• Narrow applicability by SB identification: The applicability is limited to “Model 767-300 series aeroplanes, identified in Boeing Service Bulletin (SB) 767-25-0334, Revision 1, dated 19 June 2003.” Operators must confirm that their serial numbers/aircraft are indeed identified in that specific SB revision. Aircraft not explicitly listed in that SB are not covered by the Directive’s Applicability language. Failing to verify the exact SB identification could lead to unnecessary work or unrecognised non‑compliance.

• Two distinct compliance paths require exactly following SB Accomplishment Instructions: The AD requires either replacement in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions or removal/deactivation and capping/stowing in accordance with paragraphs B.1-B.6 of the Accomplishment Instructions. Partial or differently sequenced work not matching those instructions risks non‑compliance. The Directive’s reliance on the SB’s Accomplishment Instructions means that deviations require documented FAA‑approved AMOCs. There is no express CASA AMOC process in the text; the AD points to FAA AMOCs for acceptance of later SB revisions.

• Acceptance of prior actions limited to a specific SB date: The AD accepts actions performed before the effective date if in accordance with SB dated 7 November 2002. If prior work used a different SB revision or deviated from that 7 November 2002 SB, the operator cannot assume prior compliance is accepted. Careful document matching is required.

• Spare part prohibition effective immediately on the effective date: Requirement 2 states that frequency converters not modified per the Accomplishment Instructions may not be installed as replacement spares “as of the effective date of this Directive.” Operators must cleanse their spare parts inventories or tag parts to avoid inadvertent installation. The Directive does not provide a grace period for existing spares inventories; the prohibition is immediate as of the effective date.

• Reliance on FAA AMOC approvals: The AD accepts later SB revisions only when “approved by the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) as an Alternate Method of Compliance (AMOC) to FAA AD 2005-24-04.” Relying on FAA AMOC approvals requires operators to check that a given SB revision has that specific FAA AMOC approval. An AMOC that addresses a broader FAA AD but not this specific concern may not be acceptable. Misreading the acceptance clause could lead to using an SB revision that CASA would not accept.

• Definitions of “modified” and “unmodified” parts are tied to the Accomplishment Instructions: The AD forbids installing converters “that have not been modified in accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions … as a replacement spare.” Operators must be able to demonstrate that a part was modified in accordance with the relevant SB instructions; mere vendor statements or non‑specific labelling may not suffice.

• Timing risk relative to effective date: The AD becomes effective 16 February 2006, and Requirement 1 has an 18‑month compliance window. Operators who defer until late in the 18 months may face scheduling, parts lead time, or maintenance base capacity constraints. The Directive does not provide extension mechanisms within the text; reliance on FAA AMOCs may be relevant, but the AD does not describe CASA’s process for granting time extensions.

• Interactions with other maintenance activities: The Directive does not state whether the replacement or removal can be done as part of other scheduled maintenance or must be done separately. Practically, operators must coordinate to avoid exceeding allowable downtime or violating other concurrent ADs; the AD text does not address sequencing or combined work scope rules.

• Documentation burden: While the AD accepts prior SB compliance and FAA AMOCs, the burden of proof (demonstrating the prior SB-based work or AMOC approval) rests with the operator. The Directive does not define the documentary standard; operators must retain and present the Accomplishment Instructions compliance evidence.

These “gotchas” are not legal advice but practical flags grounded in the Directive’s specific wording. The common theme is that precise alignment with the specified SB revision references, the Accomplishment Instructions, and FAA AMOC approvals is essential to avoid inadvertent non‑compliance.

The Directive prescribes a narrow compliance pathway and acceptance conditions. A practical compliance checklist drawn from the Directive’s exact terms follows.

1. Confirm Applicability

• Review Boeing Service Bulletin 767-25-0334 Revision 1 dated 19 June 2003.
• Verify whether each 767-300 series aeroplane in fleet is listed/identified in that SB revision. The Directive applies only to aeroplanes so identified.

2. Decide remediation path

• For aircraft within Applicability, select one of the two compliance options under Requirement 1: a. Replace the frequency converters used to supply power to medical and galley utility outlets with modified frequency converters, in strict accordance with the Accomplishment Instructions of SB 767-25-0334 Revision 1; or b. Remove and deactivate the frequency converters, cap and stow the frequency converter wire bundles in strict accordance with paragraphs B.1-B.6 of the Accomplishment Instructions of SB 767-25-0334 Revision 1.
• Document the decision and the planned timing relative to the 18‑month compliance deadline.

3. Timing and scheduling

• Complete Requirement 1 within 18 months of the Directive’s effective date (effective date 16 February 2006). Note the Directive’s acceptance of prior work: if you performed the required action before the effective date in accordance with SB dated 7 November 2002, that satisfies Requirement 1. Ensure documentary evidence of the earlier SB compliance is retained.

4. Parts and spares control

• Implement a parts inventory control process to ensure that, as of the Directive’s effective date, frequency converters that have not been modified per the Accomplishment Instructions are not installed as replacement spares. This includes physically segregating, tagging, or otherwise flagging unmodified spares to prevent inadvertent use.

5. Work execution and documentation

• Have qualified maintenance personnel perform the replacement or removal in accordance with the SB Accomplishment Instructions. Ensure that the work cards and maintenance records clearly reference SB 767-25-0334 Revision 1 (or the accepted prior SB if relevant) and identify the exact paragraphs followed (for example, paragraphs B.1-B.6 if removing and capping wiring).
• Retain detailed maintenance records and compliance certifications evidencing adherence to the Accomplishment Instructions, including serial numbers of parts installed, description of modifications, signatures of certifying engineers, and dates.

6. Using later SB revisions/FAA AMOCs

• If considering a later revision of SB 767-25-0334, confirm that the later revision has been approved by the FAA as an AMOC to FAA AD 2005-24-04. The Directive states that such later revisions are “considered acceptable” for compliance. Obtain formal documentation of FAA AMOC approval and retain it with the maintenance records to demonstrate compliance under the Directive’s acceptance clause.

7. Record proof for prior compliance

• For any actions performed prior to the effective date relying on SB 767-25-0334 dated 7 November 2002, gather and preserve maintenance documentation that shows work was performed “in accordance with” that SB. The Directive explicitly accepts such prior work as compliant with Requirement 1.

8. Internal audit and verification

• Conduct an internal audit to verify that all affected aircraft have either: (a) had modified frequency converters installed per the SB; (b) had the converters removed and wiring capped per SB paragraphs B.1-B.6; or (c) have prior documented compliance under the earlier SB. Also verify that no unmodified spare converters have been installed since the effective date.

9. Liaison with regulator

• Although the Directive accepts FAA AMOCs for later SBs, maintain lines of communication with CASA if there is uncertainty over whether a chosen method or SB revision is acceptable. The Directive does not set out CASA’s AMOC process; proactively documenting reliance on FAA AMOC approvals is essential.

10. Commercial/contractual housekeeping

• Notify relevant contractual counterparties (lessors, financiers, insurers) about the AD and the planned compliance method, because the Directive imposes maintenance obligations that may affect contractual airworthiness covenants. While allocation of costs is not set by the Directive, parties should confirm cost responsibility under their agreements.

Following these steps aligns practical implementation with the Directive’s exact language: adherence to SB Accomplishment Instructions, compliance within 18 months, prohibition on unmodified spare installation, and careful documentation of prior or FAA‑approved AMOC‑based compliance. The Directive’s scope and conditions are sufficiently specific that compliance is largely an engineering/documentation exercise once fleet applicability is verified.