Commonwealth legislation

AD/BELL 204/43 - Tailboom Vertical Fin Spar

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Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

4/10 complexity

Requires operators of Bell Model 204B helicopters to modify the tailboom vertical fin spar and carry out inspections in accordance with FAA AD 97-18-11. Compliance must be completed before the next flight after the directive’s effective date, with repeat inspections at intervals not exceeding eight hours time in service.

Issued after reported in‑flight fin‑spar failures, the directive imposes maintenance work, inspection time and potential downtime on owners/operators while leaving the technical instructions to the referenced FAA AD.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in AD/BELL 204/43 - Tailboom Vertical Fin Spar.

AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

View image in the official source

View image in the official source
For the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below issues the following Airworthiness Directive (AD) under subregulation 39.1 (1) of CAR 1998. The AD requires that the action set out in the requirement section (being action that the delegate considers necessary to correct the unsafe condition) be taken in relation to the aircraft or aeronautical product mentioned in the applicability section: (a) in the circumstances mentioned in the requirement section; and (b) in accordance with the instructions set out in the requirement section; and (c) at the time mentioned in the compliance section.

AD/BELL 204/43 Tailboom Vertical Fin Spa

AD/BELL 204/43 Tailboom Vertical Fin Spar 8/2000

Applicability: Model 204B.

Requirement: Action in accordance with FAA AD 97-18-11.

Compliance: Modify and inspect before further flight after the effective date of this directive, thereafter inspect at intervals not exceeding 8 hours time in service.

This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 10 August 2000.

Background: The directive was raised following the inflight failure of fin spars in both civil and military helicopters of the same design. This directive also follows the re-introduction of the AD Series after sixteen years.

View image in the official source

David Alan Villiers

Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority 6 July 2000

View image in the official source

The above AD is notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 12 July 2000.

Source text

Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation (legislation.gov.au), CC BY 4.0.

AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE

For the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below issues the following Airworthiness Directive (AD) under subregulation 39.1 (1) of CAR 1998. The AD requires that the action set out in the requirement section (being action that the delegate considers necessary to correct the unsafe condition) be taken in relation to the aircraft or aeronautical product mentioned in the applicability section: (a) in the circumstances mentioned in the requirement section; and (b) in accordance with the instructions set out in the requirement section; and (c) at the time mentioned in the compliance section.

AD/BELL 204/43 Tailboom Vertical Fin Spa AD/BELL 204/43 Tailboom Vertical Fin Spar 8/2000

AD/BELL 204/43 Tailboom Vertical Fin Spar 8/2000

Applicability: Model 204B.

Requirement: Action in accordance with FAA AD 97-18-11.

Compliance: Modify and inspect before further flight after the effective date of this directive, thereafter inspect at intervals not exceeding 8 hours time in service.

This Airworthiness Directive becomes effective on 10 August 2000.

David Alan Villiers

Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority 6 July 2000

The above AD is notified in the Commonwealth of Australia Gazette on 12 July 2000.