AD/CIRRUS/5 - Fuel Line Chafing Damage

The Directive is directed at owners and operators of Cirrus Design SR20 and SR22 aeroplanes whose serial numbers fall within the specified ranges. The applicability is precise: SR20 serials 1005 through 1581 inclusive; SR22 serials 0002 through 1643 and 1645 through 1662 inclusive. That list excludes other SR20/SR22 aircraft outside these ranges. The owner or operator of a listed aircraft must ensure the Requirement 1 inspection is completed within 50 hours TIS of the AD effective date and must ensure Requirement 2 remedial steps are completed before further flight if chafing is detected. The person who ultimately signs off the required inspections and repairs will be the maintenance provider or certificated mechanic performing work in accordance with the SB, and the aircraft’s operator is the party responsible for scheduling and paying for the work. The Delegate of CASA (James Coyne) is the issuing authority named on the Directive. The AD also implicates any maintenance organisation that intends to apply a later revision of the specified Service Bulletin; such organisations must ensure that the later revision has FAA AMOC approval to be accepted for compliance with this Directive. The FAA is not the issuer of this AD but plays a role in what later SB revisions are acceptable. The Directive therefore affects a small, identifiable population of aircraft owners and the maintenance/repair organisations that service them, including the need for coordination with US-origin documents (the SB and FAA AD) for any later revisions to be accepted.

The Directive sets out three duties, each linked to the Service Bulletin SB 2X-28-04 R1:

• Duty 1 (Requirement 1): Inspect the fuel line and wire harness for any chafing damage in accordance with SB 2X-28-04 R1. Compliance timing is “within the next 50 hours time-in-service (TIS) after the effective date of this Directive.” This is a proactive detection duty.

• Duty 2 (Requirement 2): If chafing damage is found during the Requirement 1 inspection, carry out the following in accordance with SB 2X-28-04 R1: (a) replace any damaged fuel line; and (b) repair any damaged wires or sheathing of the wire harness. The Directive requires these remedial actions “before further flight after the Requirement 1 inspection.” This creates a conditional mandatory repair obligation that prevents further flight until remedial work is complete.

• Duty 3 (Requirement 3): Install the listed anti-chafe hardware items in accordance with SB 2X-28-04 R1: forward loop clamp, fuel line shield, aft loop clamp, and anti-chafe tubing. Compliance timing is “within the next 50 hours TIS after the effective date of this Directive.” This is a preventive modification duty.

The AD affords one explicit operational right: it allows compliance using later revisions of the same Service Bulletin, provided those revisions have FAA approval as an AMOC to FAA AD 2006-07-06. That is a limited flexibility clause tying Australian acceptance to FAA AMOC approval. The Directive does not set out other procedural rights, appeal routes, or fee structures in the text provided. It also does not describe any discretionary exemptions or alternative compliance paths other than the FAA AMOC acceptance for later SB revisions. The AD prescribes the inspection and remedial standard by reference rather than inventing a new standard; operators must use SB 2X-28-04 R1 as the operative technical method.

The text of the Directive itself states the required actions, compliance windows, and applicability, but it does not state penalties for non-compliance or the enforcement mechanism within the AD document provided. The Directive is framed as a CASA instrument issued by a named Delegate (James Coyne) and it sets effective and compliance dates. The absence of penalty provisions in the AD text means the Directive does not itself specify fines, suspensions, or criminal sanctions within the provided pages. That does not mean non-compliance carries no consequence, but any enforcement framework, penalties or administrative actions would be located in the broader regulatory framework governing airworthiness and aviation safety, which is not reproduced in this AD text. Similarly, the Directive refers to FAA documents for method and alternate compliance but does not declare a sanctions regime. Practically, the AD creates enforceable obligations for the operators of the listed aircraft because it specifies mandatory corrective and preventive measures and timeframes; however, the document as provided does not enumerate who enforces compliance, the process for demonstrating compliance to CASA, or the sanctioning steps for breaches. Users should therefore treat the AD’s obligations as mandatory operational duties and consult the relevant aviation safety regulations or CASA guidance (not included here) for enforcement, record-keeping, certification of maintenance entries, and potential penalties for failing to comply. The Directive’s effective date (11 May 2006) establishes when the compliance windows begin.

Within the provided text, the AD interacts directly with two external regulatory/technical instruments. First, it incorporates Cirrus Design Corporation Service Bulletin SB 2X-28-04 R1 as the operative technical procedure for inspection, repair, replacement and installation tasks. The AD requires actions “in accordance with” that SB, linking compliance to manufacturer-prescribed procedures rather than setting out the technical steps inside the AD. Second, the AD cross-references FAA AD 2006-07-06 (Amdt 39-14533) and states that later revisions of the SB are acceptable for compliance with this Directive if those later revisions are approved by the FAA as an Alternate Method of Compliance to FAA AD 2006-07-06. This creates a specific delegation of acceptability to the FAA’s AMOC process: Australian acceptance of later SB revisions hinges on FAA AMOC approval. The AD therefore establishes a one-way recognition rule that ties Australian compliance permissibility for later SB versions to a US regulator’s determination. The Directive does not cite or incorporate any Australian Civil Aviation Regulations or enablement clauses within the provided text, nor does it state how compliance is to be documented under Australian maintenance log or continuing airworthiness requirements. The AD’s reference to the FAA and to the manufacturer’s SB shows an international regulatory alignment mechanism: the AD requires adherence to a named technical document and accepts FAA-approved AMOCs as a limited route for alternate compliance. Any interactions with other Australian laws, guidance on recordkeeping, continuing airworthiness obligations, or enforcement must be located in the broader CASA regulatory framework, which is not contained in the AD text provided.

The AD itself includes dates and references but does not present a series of prior amendments to the AD text within the provided excerpt. What the provided material does show is the Service Bulletin issuance and revision dates, and the AD’s own effective and issue dates. Specifically, the operative Service Bulletin is SB 2X-28-04 R1, which the AD records as Issued 1 November 2005 and Revised 14 November 2005. The AD states it “becomes effective on 11 May 2006.” The signed date by the CASA delegate is 20 April 2006. The AD is labelled “6/2006 DM,” which is an internal identifier and date marker, and appears in the header. The Note in the AD references FAA AD 2006-07-06 Amdt 39-14533, linking to a contemporaneous FAA amendment. The AD also contains repeated header lines and the label AD/CIRRUS/5. Absent from the text are any later CASA amendments to this AD, rescissions, supersessions, or corrigenda. The directive does not report having been amended, nor does it include an amendment schedule. It does state that later revisions of SB 2X-28-04 R1 are acceptable where those revisions have FAA AMOC approval; that is a forward-looking acceptance clause rather than an amendment to the AD itself. If parties require the AD’s subsequent amendment history, repeals, or supersessions, those items are not recorded in the AD text provided and must be sought in CASA’s official amendment or directive logs.

The AD text supplies no information about litigation, judicial review, or administrative appeals connected to AD/CIRRUS/5. There are no cases, appeals, or disputes recorded in the document provided. The AD does not reference any contested enforcement action, compliance dispute, or legal proceedings. Because the Directive is a prescriptive technical instrument addressing a specific airworthiness issue, the absence of litigation entries in this document is not surprising. Any litigation or contested enforcement that may have arisen in relation to the AD, its application to particular aircraft, or disputed compliance would not be visible in the AD text itself. To identify any litigation history, one would need to search administrative tribunal records, court databases, or CASA enforcement logs, none of which are included in the supplied text. Therefore, based solely on the provided material, there is no recorded litigation history attached to this Directive.

Several concrete operational and compliance pitfalls are visible directly from the AD text.

• Exact serial-number applicability. The Directive applies to narrowly defined serial-number ranges: SR20 1005-1581 inclusive; SR22 0002-1643 and 1645-1662 inclusive. That explicit listing excludes other SR20/SR22 aircraft and even excludes SR22 serial number 1644. An operator must confirm the aircraft’s serial is within those ranges before applying the AD. Treat omission of a single serial (1644) as intentional in the text; do not assume all SR22s are covered.

• Method of inspection and repair is specified. The AD requires inspections and work “in accordance with Cirrus Design Corporation Service Bulletin SB 2X-28-04 R1.” Operators cannot substitute an alternative inspection method unless that alternative is a later SB revision approved by the FAA as an AMOC to FAA AD 2006-07-06 and thereby accepted under the AD’s limited flexibility clause.

• Compliance timing variations. Requirement 1 and Requirement 3 each have a 50-hour TIS compliance window measured from the AD’s effective date. Requirement 2 is categorical and immediate: if chafing is found during Requirement 1, replacement and repair must be completed before further flight. That creates a potential operational trap: an aircraft may be grounded immediately if chafing is detected.

• Distinct remedial and preventive steps. If chafing is detected, Requirement 2 demands replacement of the fuel line and repair of damaged wiring/sheathing. Separately, Requirement 3 requires installation of a set of hardware items (forward loop clamp, fuel line shield, aft loop clamp, anti-chafe tubing) even where no chafing had been found at inspection time. Both actions are tied to the SB for method.

• FAA AMOC dependency. The AD accepts later revisions of the SB only if the FAA approves them as an AMOC to FAA AD 2006-07-06. That creates a dependency where Australian acceptance of technical changes is linked to US regulatory approval rather than CASA’s own approval process, which may matter for maintenance organisations following updated manufacturer guidance.

• Documentation gap in the AD text. The Directive does not state how to record compliance, whether a specific maintenance log entry format is required, or how to notify CASA. Operators should not assume procedural recordkeeping details are contained in this AD.

• Background risk stated but not quantified. The AD’s background explains the safety rationale: reported fuel line leaks from wire chafing could lead to unsafe fuel vapour in the cockpit and possible fire. The AD does not quantify incident frequency or provide further forensic detail in the text provided; operators must act on the prescriptive steps without additional statistical context.

Follow these concrete steps derived strictly from the Directive text and the referenced Service Bulletin.

1. Verify applicability. Confirm the aircraft serial number is within the AD’s stated ranges: SR20 1005-1581 inclusive; SR22 0002-1643 and 1645-1662 inclusive. Do not apply the Directive to aircraft outside these serial ranges.

2. Obtain the referenced document. Acquire Cirrus Design Corporation Service Bulletin SB 2X-28-04 R1 (Issued 1 November 2005, Revised 14 November 2005), which the AD identifies as the required method for inspection and work. The AD requires all actions to be carried out in accordance with that SB. If you intend to use a later revision of the SB, confirm that the FAA has approved that later revision as an AMOC to FAA AD 2006-07-06; only then will the AD accept the later revision as compliant.

3. Schedule Requirement 1 inspection within the 50-hour TIS window. The AD requires the initial inspection “within the next 50 hours time-in-service (TIS) after the effective date of this Directive.” The AD becomes effective on 11 May 2006; compute the 50-hour TIS from that date. Use the SB’s specified inspection procedures and record the inspection in the aircraft maintenance log in accordance with standard continuing airworthiness practice.

4. If chafing is found, meet Requirement 2 before further flight. The AD mandates that any chafing damage detected during the Requirement 1 inspection be corrected before further flight per SB 2X-28-04 R1. Specifically, replace any damaged fuel line and repair any damaged wires or wire sheathing as the SB prescribes. Do not return the aircraft to service until the repairs/replacements are completed and certified.

5. Complete Requirement 3 preventative installations within 50 hours TIS. Install the forward loop clamp, fuel line shield, aft loop clamp, and anti-chafe tubing in accordance with SB 2X-28-04 R1 within the same 50-hour TIS window specified for Requirement 1. Even where no chafing was found at inspection, the AD requires these preventive installations.

6. Use appropriate maintenance certification. Ensure the person(s) performing and signing off the inspection, repair, replacement and installation are authorised under applicable maintenance certification rules. The AD specifies the method document but does not supply the sign-off format; therefore use standard maintenance release practices and keep contemporaneous records.

7. Retain documentation and traceability. Keep the Service Bulletin reference, inspection reports, maintenance entries, parts replaced, and any FAA AMOC approvals (if applicable). Although the AD text does not set out document submission requirements, retaining clear records supports future audits and demonstrates compliance with the Directive.

8. Be aware of FAA AMOC conditions. If you plan to comply using a later SB revision, obtain evidence that the FAA has approved that SB revision as an AMOC to FAA AD 2006-07-06, and retain that approval documentation with the maintenance record.

9. Plan for operational disruption. If chafing is found, the aircraft must be grounded until repairs are complete. Coordinate maintenance availability and parts sourcing to minimise downtime; the AD does not prescribe lead times or acceptable substitute parts beyond following the SB.

10. Seek CASA guidance where the AD text is silent. The AD sets mandatory technical duties but does not address enforcement, specific record submission, or administrative procedures. Where uncertainty exists about acceptance of alternative procedures, documentation formats, or enforcement reporting, consult CASA guidance or contact CASA directly.