AD/CHA/29 - Flight Control Cables

The Directive operationalises a small number of tightly specified safety concepts. First, it identifies an immediate operational risk mitigation step: restrict acrobatic flight by a placard or POH limitation pending inspection and correction. That is an operational control measure intended to minimise exposure to high-load manoeuvres while the integrity of flight control cables is unconfirmed (Requirement 1).

Second, it prescribes a physical inspection standard for a specific hardware item, the Nicopress sleeve swage on flight control cables. The technical metric is precise: each sleeve must have three swages or crimps and the width of each Nicopress swage must not exceed 0.354 inches (Requirement 2; ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B). The Directive points operators to an external technical document (ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B, dated 29 November 2005) for the inspection method and presumably acceptance criteria. The Directive lists exact counts and locations of sleeves to be inspected: elevator (6), rudder (4), ailerons (12), and flaps (6). That makes the inspection scope explicit and repeatable.

Third, it requires remediation where the inspection reveals non-conforming swages, namely replacement of any flight control cable found to have an incorrect Nicopress swage (Requirement 3). The Directive couples remediation with administrative obligations: removal of the temporary placard or POH limitation only after successful completion of inspection and any necessary replacement, and a mandatory report of findings to CASA within 10 days where discrepancies are found.

Fourth, the Directive ties its issuance to an analogous FAA action by reference to FAA AD 2005-24-10 Amdt 39-14390. This indicates that CASA’s action is coordinated with or responding to an FAA-defined airworthiness concern; the Directive explicitly notes that FAA AD in the textual Note.

Finally, timelines are tight and prescriptive. Requirement 1 is to be done before the next flight after the effective date, while Requirements 2 and 3 must be accomplished within 25 hours time in service after that date. The Directive becomes effective on 23 January 2006, and the reporting obligation for any non-conformance is within 10 days of inspection.

Each of these core elements defines a set of precise operator behaviours: immediate flight limitation or labelling, standardised inspections per a manufacturer service letter, replacement of non-conforming components, administrative removal of temporary limitations, and prompt reporting to CASA. The Directive is concrete about what must be inspected, what measurement threshold applies, how to temporarily limit operations, and the narrow windows in which the actions must be completed.

The Directive’s applicability clause identifies two overlapping categories of affected aeroplanes.

First category: specified American Champion (Aeronca, Bellanca) models that were manufactured before 12 August 2005 and that have less than 250 hours time in service. The models explicitly listed include Model 7ECA, 7GCAA, 7GCBC, 8KCAB, and 8GCBC (first applicability row). The Directive therefore captures aircraft by model, manufacture date (pre-12 August 2005), and a low total time-in-service threshold (less than 250 hours TIS).

Second category: a broader list of American Champion models where the aircraft have installed a flight control cable (or a flight control cable included in a wing retrofit kit) that was purchased from American Champion Aircraft Corp. (ACAC) before 12 August 2005; and where the aircraft have less than 250 hours time in service since that installation. The models enumerated in this second list are longer and include Model 7AC, 7ACA, S7AC, 7BCM, 7CCM, S7CCM, 7DC, S7DC, 7EC, S7EC, 7ECA, 7FC, 7GC, 7GCA, 7GCAA, 7GCB, 7GCBA, 7GCBC, 7HC, 7JC, 7KC, 7KCAB, 8KCAB, and 8GCBC. This second category therefore targets aircraft that have had certain ACAC-supplied cables fitted and which have relatively low time in service since that installation.

Who pays: The Directive places the operational and physical compliance costs on the operator or owner of the affected aircraft, because they must either fabricate and install a placard or insert the Limitation into the POH, perform the inspection in accordance with ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B, and replace any non-conforming cable(s). The Directive does not itself allocate costs or provide remedies; the operator will bear the direct costs of inspection and any replacement parts and labour.

Who decides: The Directive is issued by CASA and signed by its delegate. The Directive specifies the actions to be carried out by operators and does not provide discretionary exemptions or delegations within the text; compliance is mandated within the specified timeframes. The technical inspection standard is referenced to an ACAC Service Letter, which in practice places some decisions about inspection methodology and acceptance criteria onto the service-letter procedures. Operators and certificated maintenance personnel will decide how to implement the inspection and replacements consistent with the service letter and the Directive.

Reporting obligations: If any cable is found to have an incorrect Nicopress swage, the operator must report the findings to CASA within 10 days by e-mail to airworthiness.directives@casa.gov.au. That reporting requirement creates an administrative duty on the operator in addition to the physical repair duty.

Operational impacts on users: Aircraft owners and operators of affected models who have aircraft manufactured before 12 August 2005 or with ACAC cables purchased before that date and low hours since installation are directly affected. Pilots and flight schools that operate these models will face an immediate limitation on acrobatic flight until the inspections and any replacements are carried out, or they will need to instal the placard or POH limitation to continue to operate until inspections are completed.

Regulatory stakeholders: CASA (as the issuer) and, by reference, the FAA are implicated. The Directive explicitly references FAA AD 2005-24-10 Amdt 39-14390, indicating coordination in identifying the safety concern. Maintenance organisations and certificated mechanics are the agents expected to carry out the inspections and replacements according to the referenced service letter.

The Directive imposes the following concrete duties on operators and maintainers of affected aircraft.

Duty to restrict acrobatic flight or display a warning: Requirement 1 compels operators, before further flight if the aircraft has not yet undergone the Requirement 2 inspection, to either fabricate and install a cockpit placard that reads “Acrobatic Flight Prohibited” with letters at least 1/8-inch high in full view of the pilot, or to add the specified statement into the Limitations Section of the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH). The POH insertion may be effected by inserting a copy of the Directive into the Limitations Section (Requirement 1a and 1b).

Duty to inspect Nicopress sleeves: Requirement 2 mandates inspection of the Nicopress sleeves on specified flight control cables for the correct swage width and references ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B (29 November 2005) as the inspection standard. The Directive stipulates that each sleeve has three swages or crimps and must not exceed a maximum width of 0.354 inches. It specifies the number of cable locations to inspect: six elevator cable locations, four rudder cable locations, twelve aileron cable locations, and six flap cable locations.

Duty to remediate defects: Requirement 3 requires replacement of any flight control cable found to have a Nicopress swage of incorrect width. The Directive instructs that, if Requirement 1 was used to temporarily restrict acrobatic flight, the temporary placard or POH limitation must be removed after completion of Requirements 2 and 3.

Reporting obligation: Requirement 3 also requires that if any flight control cable was found to have an incorrect Nicopress swage, the findings must be reported to CASA within 10 days of the inspection, giving the email address airworthiness.directives@casa.gov.au.

Timing duties: The Compliance row imposes explicit timing duties. Requirement 1 must be complied with before further flight after 23 January 2006. Requirements 2 and 3 must be completed within 25 hours time in service after 23 January 2006. The Directive itself became effective on 23 January 2006.

Rights or procedural protections in the text: The Directive does not specify any appeals mechanism, exemptions, alternative compliance procedures, or delegated authority within its text. It also does not specify the competent persons required to perform the inspections or replacements, nor does it list any recordkeeping or documentation requirements beyond the 10-day reporting duty if non-conforming swages are discovered. Rights to challenge or seek relief are not provided in the Directive itself; those possibilities, if available, would stem from the wider regulatory framework governing CASA directives and are not addressed in this document.

Reference to other standards: The Directive grounds the technical inspection standard in ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B, dated 29 November 2005. That places the onus on operators and their maintenance providers to obtain and follow that service letter in performing the specified inspections.

Administrative closure of temporary measures: The Directive establishes an explicit administrative workflow: temporary placard or POH limitation may be used to allow operation until inspection, but must be removed only after successful inspection and remediation. This creates a discrete administrative duty to update cockpit documentation and ensures that temporary measures are not left in place after the airworthiness concern is cleared.

Overall, the Directive sets out a set of non-optional, time-bound physical inspection and replacement duties and a discrete reporting obligation, while remaining silent on discretionary relief, appeal or enforcement mechanisms within its own text.

The Directive itself sets out compliance obligations and timing but does not list specific penalties, fines, or enforcement procedures in its text. The document prescribes what must be done and when: Requirement 1 before further flight after 23 January 2006, and Requirements 2 and 3 within 25 hours time in service after that date. It also prescribes the notification address for reporting any non-conforming nicopress swages to CASA within 10 days of inspection (airworthiness.directives@casa.gov.au).

Direct enforcement mechanisms, sanctions or the statutory basis for penalties are not contained in the text of this Directive as provided. The Directive should be understood as an instrument issued by CASA that imposes mandatory airworthiness actions on operators of affected aircraft; however, this text does not specify the legal penalties for non-compliance, the process for CASA to certify compliance, or the mechanisms by which CASA would undertake enforcement action. Those enforcement powers and penalties, if exercised, arise from CASA’s statutory authority and the broader civil aviation regulatory framework, none of which are included or elaborated in this Directive.

The Directive does, however, create a reporting duty: any flight control cable found to have an incorrect Nicopress swage must be reported to CASA within 10 days of inspection. Failure to make this report would be a failure to comply with an explicit Directive requirement as written. The practical consequence of failing to comply with any requirement in an Airworthiness Directive typically includes CASA’s regulatory follow-up, but the Directive text does not describe that follow-up.

The Directive notes an FAA AD (FAA AD 2005-24-10 Amdt 39-14390) by way of reference. While this connects CASA’s action to a corresponding FAA action, the Directive does not specify cross-border enforcement or recognition arrangements.

In short, the document imposes mandatory duties and reporting obligations, with explicit timing, but it does not itself state penalties, the enforcement process, or procedural remedies. Parties seeking to understand enforcement consequences will need to consult CASA’s overarching statutory and regulatory instruments, which are outside the scope of the text provided here.

The Directive explicitly references an FAA Airworthiness Directive: FAA AD 2005-24-10 Amdt 39-14390. The text lists this FAA AD as a Note, indicating that the CASA Directive aligns with or is informed by the FAA action. This establishes a direct international regulatory touchpoint: CASA adopted a rule that mirrors or responds to an FAA-identified unsafe condition. Beyond that specific cross-reference, the Directive does not cite other statutes, regulations, or legal instruments within its text.

Operationally, the Directive prescribes compliance with a manufacturer service communication, ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B, dated 29 November 2005, as the inspection standard. This creates a functional interaction between the CASA Directive and the manufacturer’s service instructions. In practice this means the Directive’s requirements are implemented by following the procedures and acceptance criteria set out in the service letter; the Directive therefore imports technical content from a private-sector service document into an enforceable regulator-issued obligation.

The Directive’s lack of explicit references to CASA’s enabling statute or to the Civil Aviation Regulations means that it stands as an instrument requiring compliance, without restating statutory authority or rights of review within the text. Interactions with licensing, airworthiness certification, continuing airworthiness obligations, maintenance organisation approvals, or pilot operating limitations are implicit, because the Directive modifies operational limitations and component airworthiness requirements, but such interactions are not described in the text provided.

The Directive imposes a reporting duty to CASA at airworthiness.directives@casa.gov.au where incorrect swages are found. That reporting requirement creates an information flow from operators to the regulator and supports broader oversight and potential regulatory follow-up. The Directive does not specify how CASA may use those reports or whether they will trigger further regulatory action, but the reference to the FAA AD suggests this issue is part of an international safety-monitoring regime.

Where the Directive mandates changes to the Pilot’s Operating Handbook (POH) limitations section, it interacts in practice with the operational documentation that forms a part of an aircraft’s airworthiness documentation package. Adding or removing a limitation in the POH affects the pilot’s authorised operating envelope for that aircraft, and that has practical interactions with flight operations, pilot training, insurance and safety management systems. The Directive requires that a temporary POH insertion may be used, and that it must be removed after successful inspection/remediation.

In sum, the text shows explicit interaction with two external instruments: FAA AD 2005-24-10 Amdt 39-14390 and ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B (29 November 2005). Other legal or regulatory interactions are implied by the nature of an Airworthiness Directive but are not specified in the document itself.

The provided text shows a single issuance of CASA Airworthiness Directive AD/CHA/29, dated and signed by James Coyne, Delegate of CASA, on 19 January 2006, and effective 23 January 2006. The document identifies itself as "AD/CHA/29 3/2006 DM" and repeats the identifier in multiple places. No amendments, superseding ADs, or revisions are recorded within the provided text. There is no internal amendment log, no indication of earlier versions of AD/CHA/29, and no subsequent amendments indicated in the body of the Directive as provided.

The Directive does reference external documents with revision information: ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B is dated 29 November 2005, and the FAA action referenced is FAA AD 2005-24-10 Amdt 39-14390. Those references provide background to the timing and technical standards used in this Directive, but they are not internal amendments to the CASA text.

Because the document does not include any explicit amendment history lines or a consolidated history, the only amendment-relevant facts in the text are:

• The effective date of the Directive: 23 January 2006.
• The signature date: 19 January 2006.
• The referenced ACAC Service Letter with its own revision designation (Revision B, 29 November 2005).
• The referenced FAA AD (2005-24-10 Amdt 39-14390).

If a reader requires the full amendment or revision history of AD/CHA/29, or wishes to confirm whether this AD has been superseded or amended after 23 January 2006, they will need to consult CASA’s official AD database or subsequent CASA publications. The text provided contains no later amendments or rescissions.

The Directive as supplied contains no litigation history. It does not refer to any court proceedings, administrative reviews, or disputes arising from the AD. The document does not identify any contested rulings nor any case law. No appeals, stays, or enforcement actions are recorded in the text.

Because the Directive itself does not provide information about post-issuance disputes or legal challenges, there is nothing in this text to indicate any litigation that either sought to invalidate the Directive, challenge its terms, or contest enforcement action. The Directive’s silence on litigation does not mean none occurred, only that none is recorded in this document.

Practitioners seeking whether any litigation arose from AD/CHA/29 will need to search court records, administrative review decisions, or CASA enforcement action archives external to this document. The text provided gives no account of legal challenges, remedial orders, or judicial interpretation of the Directive.

The Directive contains several specific features and small details that can cause operational oversights if not attended to carefully.

Narrow applicability triggers. The AD separates affected aircraft into two distinct applicability categories that operate on different triggers. One category applies to certain models manufactured before 12 August 2005 with less than 250 hours total time in service. The other category applies to a wider list of models where an ACAC-purchased flight control cable (or cable included in a wing retrofit kit) was purchased before 12 August 2005 and the aircraft has less than 250 hours time in service since that installation. Operators should not conflate the two: one is keyed to manufacture date and total time in service, the other to cable purchase date and hours since installation. Misreading which criterion applies to a specific aircraft could result in unnecessary delay or failure to comply.

Temporary operational allowance is limited. Requirement 1 allows continued flight only if a placard is fitted or the POH is amended; it is not an exemption from inspection. That is, the placard or POH insertion is explicitly a temporary measure to permit flight only until Requirements 2 and 3 are completed. The placard text is specified (“Acrobatic Flight Prohibited”) and the minimum character size is specified (at least 1/8-inch letters). Using different wording, different placement, or smaller letters could be interpreted as non-compliant.

Dependent removal. The Directive requires that if the temporary placard or POH limitation was used, it must be removed after completion of Requirements 2 and 3. Operators must track the lifecycle of the temporary label and ensure it is removed, otherwise they will be operating with a limitation that should have been rescinded.

Exact inspection metric. Requirement 2 references ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B and specifies a maximum Nicopress swage width of 0.354 inches and that each sleeve has three swages or crimps. Inspectors must be clear on whether the 0.354 inch limit applies to each swage, the overall sleeve width, or the maximum measured cross-section; the Directive states "Each sleeve has three swages or crimps and must not exceed a maximum width of 0.354 inches," therefore the maximum width measurement is the acceptance criterion. Accurate measurement requires appropriate tools and calibration. Ambiguity in inspection technique is mitigated by reference to ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B, which practitioners must obtain and follow.

Scope of sleeves to be inspected. The Directive provides specific counts for inspection locations: elevator cables (6), rudder (4), aileron (12), and flap cables (6). Inspectors must ensure they examine the correct number and location of sleeves for each aircraft; the counts are prescriptive and may not map one-to-one if an aircraft has non-standard configurations, modifications or retrofit kits. Operators with modified control systems should confirm that their configuration corresponds to the specified locations or seek clarifying guidance.

Reporting deadline. If any incorrect swage width is found, the Directive requires a report to CASA within 10 days via the specified e-mail address. Failure to report within that narrow window would be non-compliance with an explicit Directive requirement. The content of the report is not specified in the Directive; operators should include aircraft identification, details of the non-conformance, and corrective action taken.

Timing pressure. Requirement 1 is due before further flight after the effective date (23 January 2006). Requirements 2 and 3 must be performed within 25 hours time in service after that date. The tight window places operational pressure on aircraft with active schedules or those that cannot easily schedule maintenance within the 25 TIS hours.

Replacement vs repair. The Directive mandates replacement of any flight control cable found to have an incorrect Nicopress swage. It does not authorise re-swaging in situ or alternative corrective methods. Operators must therefore plan to source replacement cables and the associated labour. Procuring replacements may be time-consuming, especially where cables are model-specific or require special fittings.

Dependence on external service letter. The technical inspection criteria and method are delegated to ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B, 29 November 2005. Operators must obtain and follow that service letter to ensure inspections meet the accepted standard; merely measuring swage width without following the service letter’s full procedure could be considered incomplete.

No penalties stated. The Directive does not list penalties. That absence can mislead operators about enforcement risk. Practitioners should be aware that CASA’s broader regulatory framework likely supplies enforcement powers, but such powers are not set out in this text.

Reference to FAA AD. The Directive notes FAA AD 2005-24-10 Amdt 39-14390. Operators should check the FAA AD and the ACAC Service Letter for any additional technical detail not reproduced in the CASA document, because the Directive imports those documents as functional references.

In short, the gotchas arise from narrow applicability criteria, precise and non-negotiable measurement thresholds, short compliance windows, the requirement to replace rather than repair, and a mandatory reporting duty of which the Directive sets the timeline but not the report contents.

The Directive lays out concrete, sequential steps that an operator should follow to comply.

1. Determine applicability precisely. Review the two applicability categories in the Directive. If the aircraft model is listed and the aircraft was manufactured before 12 August 2005 and has less than 250 hours total time in service, the Directive applies. Alternatively, if the aircraft model is listed and has installed a flight control cable purchased from ACAC before 12 August 2005 and has less than 250 hours time in service since installation, the Directive applies. Document the manufacture dates, cable purchase/installation dates and time-in-service to demonstrate applicability or non-applicability.

2. If the Directive applies and the Requirement 2 inspection has not yet been completed, before further flight after 23 January 2006 implement the temporary operational restriction in Requirement 1. Choose one of the two options:

   • Fabricate and install a cockpit placard stating “Acrobatic Flight Prohibited” with letters at least 1/8-inch in height and place it in full view of the pilot; or
   • Add the exact statement provided by the Directive to the Limitations Section of the Pilot’s Operating Handbook, for example by inserting a copy of the Directive into that section. Record the placard installation or POH amendment in the aircraft records so there is an auditable trail that the temporary restriction was implemented before further flight.

3. Obtain ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B, dated 29 November 2005. The Directive explicitly references this service letter as the inspection standard. Ensure the maintenance organisation or certificated mechanic uses the service letter’s procedures, measurement techniques and acceptance criteria when performing the inspections. The Directive’s text requires inspection in accordance with that service letter.

4. Perform the physical inspection (Requirement 2) within 25 hours time in service after 23 January 2006. Inspect Nicopress sleeves on the specified flight control cables for correct swage width, ensuring each sleeve has three swages or crimps and does not exceed a maximum width of 0.354 inches. Inspect the specified number of locations on each control system: elevator cables (6 locations), rudder cables (4 locations), aileron cables (12 locations), and flap cables (6 locations). Use appropriate measurement tools and calibrated instruments as prescribed in the service letter to measure swage width reliably and reproducibly.

5. If any flight control cable is found with a Nicopress swage exceeding 0.354 inches or otherwise non-conforming with the service letter, replace that flight control cable (Requirement 3). The Directive requires replacement; it does not authorise re-swaging or alternative corrective actions in lieu of replacement. Document the replacement work in maintenance records, including part numbers, serial numbers where applicable, and the name and licence of the person or organisation that performed the replacement.

6. Reporting. If any incorrect swage width is discovered during the inspection, report the findings to CASA within 10 days of the inspection to the specified e-mail address: airworthiness.directives@casa.gov.au. Include essential identifying information to make the report useful: aircraft registration, model, serial number, dates of inspection and discovery, location(s) and nature of the non-conformance, corrective action taken (including replacement details), and any other relevant information that will allow CASA to track fleet-wide issues.

7. Remove the temporary placard or POH limitation only after successful completion of Requirements 2 and 3. If no defective sleeves are found, remove the temporary placard or POH insertion and update aircraft records to reflect the completion of the AD requirements. If replacements were performed, ensure maintenance documentation evidences the new components and that the completion of the AD is recorded.

8. Retain records. Although the Directive does not set out a record-retention period, it is prudent to retain inspection and replacement records, the report to CASA if applicable, and any correspondence for the operator’s maintenance and regulatory compliance files.

9. Cross-reference FAA AD and ACAC service letter. Because the Directive references FAA AD 2005-24-10 Amdt 39-14390 and ACAC Service Letter No. 427 Revision B, consult those documents to ensure that the inspection technique, definitions, and any technical diagrams or measurement instructions are followed. Where the CASA Directive is succinct and defers to the service letter, the service letter will supply the operational detail needed to complete the work correctly and defensibly.

10. Plan procurement and scheduling. Because Requirement 3 requires replacement of non-conforming cables rather than repair, plan for lead times in obtaining replacement cables and scheduling certificated maintenance personnel. The 25 hours TIS window for inspection creates urgency. If aircraft operations are commercial, coordinate maintenance slots to minimise disruption.

Following the above sequential steps maps directly to the requirements as stated in AD/CHA/29, and documents the actions taken to satisfy the Directive. Operators should keep the AD and the ACAC service letter accessible during the inspection and replacement process to demonstrate that the work was carried out in accordance with the mandated standards.