AD/F100/95 - Fuel Fire Shut-off Valve Actuator

The central concept is an Airworthiness Directive (AD), a legally enforceable notice issued by CASA under Part 39 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations. An AD mandates corrective action when an unsafe condition exists in a product (airframe, engine, propeller, or appliance). AD/F100/95 is a "superseding" AD: it replaces AD/F100/92, which in turn had superseded earlier directives. The directive introduces three specific part numbers for fuel fire shut-off valve actuators. P/N 9409122 is the original actuator found to be susceptible to freezing and to have a higher than expected failure rate. P/N 53-0013 was the interim replacement actuator developed by Eaton Aerospace to improve reliability and reduce freezing susceptibility, but it later exhibited manufacturing and design errors causing top-cap loosening. P/N 53-0027 is the final replacement actuator that addresses both the freezing and the cap loosening problems. The directive also references Fokker Services Service Bulletin SBF100-76-020 dated 20 April 2009 as the means of compliance, and notes that SBF100-76-018 (which had introduced the P/N 53-0013 actuator) has been cancelled. The concept of "configuration" is important: aeroplanes are categorised as being in a "pre-SBF100-76-018" or "post-SBF100-76-018" configuration, depending on whether they had already been modified under the earlier service bulletin. The directive also interacts with EASA AD 2009-0168, which is the European Aviation Safety Agency's equivalent directive, indicating international coordination on this unsafe condition. A key concept is the "Applicability" section, which covers both the F28 Mark 0070 and Mark 0100 types (the latter are the Fokker 100) and specifies that the AD applies only if the relevant actuator part numbers are installed on one or both fuel fire shut-off valves. The AD does not apply to aeroplanes that already have P/N 53-0027 installed from the factory or from previous maintenance, because those aeroplanes are not affected by the unsafe condition. The directive also introduces a note stating that once P/N 53-0027 actuators are fitted, the earlier AD/F100/84 (which concerned a different actuator type, P/N 9401037 "chimney type") ceases to apply to those actuators - but only to those valves, not necessarily to the entire aeroplane if other actuators remain.

AD/F100/95 directly affects the registered operators and owners of Fokker F28 Mark 0070 and Mark 0100 (Fokker 100) aeroplanes that are on the Australian civil aircraft register, or that operate in Australian territory. The directive applies to all serial numbers of those aeroplane types, provided that a fuel fire shut-off valve actuator with P/N 9409122 or P/N 53-0013 is fitted to one or both of the engine fire shut-off valves. This includes aeroplanes originally delivered with P/N 9401037 actuators (the "chimney type") that were subsequently modified in service with P/N 9409122 actuators using mounting blocks P/N 7923505. The directive thus affects a defined segment of the Australian fleet: those Fokker 100 and F28 aircraft that have not yet been modified to the latest P/N 53-0027 standard. Operators of Fokker aircraft that already have P/N 53-0027 fitted are not affected by the replacement requirement, but they must still comply with the prohibition on installing P/N 53-0013 (Requirement 2). Beyond the direct operators, the directive imposes duties on maintenance organisations that perform work on these aircraft. They must ensure that the replacement is accomplished in accordance with the specified Service Bulletin, and they must not install P/N 53-0013 actuators. Parts suppliers are affected because the directive effectively prohibits the supply of P/N 9409122 and P/N 53-0013 actuators for installation on these aircraft, and creates demand for the new P/N 53-0027 actuator. The manufacturer Eaton Aerospace is indirectly affected as the designer of the actuators, as is Fokker Services as the holder of the type certificate and publisher of the service bulletin. CASA is the enforcing authority and is affected by the need to monitor compliance and take enforcement action if necessary. The directive also has implications for insurers and financiers of these aircraft, who may require evidence of compliance for risk assessment and loan security. For operators running small fleets, the compliance cost (parts, labour, aircraft downtime) may be proportionally higher than for large operators. The 15-month compliance period provides some flexibility, but operators must plan the replacement to coincide with scheduled maintenance to minimise additional downtime.

AD/F100/95 imposes two main duties on the operator of each affected aeroplane. First, within 15 months after the effective date (24 September 2009), the operator must remove each fuel fire shut-off valve actuator with P/N 9409122 or P/N 53-0013 and replace it with P/N 53-0027, and accomplish the associated modifications. The specific method depends on the aeroplane's configuration: for aeroplanes in the pre-SBF100-76-018 configuration, the operator must use Part 1A or 1B of the Accomplishment Instructions of Fokker Services SBF100-76-020; for aeroplanes already in the post-SBF100-76-018 configuration (i.e., those that had already adopted the earlier P/N 53-0013 actuator under the cancelled SBF100-76-018), the operator must use Part 2. Note that the directive does not allow a choice between these parts; it mandates the appropriate part based on the existing configuration. The operator is also entitled to use later approved revisions of the service bulletin, which provides some flexibility if Fokker Services issues an updated version. The second duty is a prohibition: after the effective date, no operator or maintainer may install a P/N 53-0013 fuel fire shut-off valve actuator on any aeroplane covered by the directive. This duty is immediate and ongoing. In terms of rights, the directive grants the operator the right to rely on Note 1: once the P/N 53-0027 actuators are installed on an aeroplane, the requirements of AD/F100/84 (EASA AD 2007-0122) no longer apply to those actuators. This removes a previous compliance obligation, which is a benefit. Additionally, the directive does not prohibit the installation of P/N 9409122 actuators? Actually, it only prohibits installation of P/N 53-0013; the replacement requirement mandates removal of P/N 9409122, but the directive does not explicitly prohibit installing P/N 9409122 in the future (though the replacement requirement effectively prevents installing them as they would then have to be removed again). However, compliance with the replacement duty means that after the 15-month period, no P/N 9409122 or P/N 53-0013 should remain on the aircraft, so installing them would be pointless and would put the aircraft out of compliance. The operator has no right to extend the compliance time; the 15-month period is fixed. The operator must maintain records of compliance, including the part numbers installed and the service bulletin used.

AD/F100/95 is issued under the authority of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASR), specifically Part 39 which governs airworthiness directives. Failure to comply with an AD is a breach of a provision of the CASR, and attracts the penalties set out in the Civil Aviation Act 1988 and the Crimes Act 1914. Under regulation 39.005 of CASR, a person must not operate an aircraft unless each applicable AD has been complied with. Operating an aircraft that does not comply with an AD can result in the suspension or cancellation of airworthiness certificates, and may lead to enforcement action including infringement notices (on-the-spot fines) or prosecution. The maximum penalty for a breach of a safety regulation under the Civil Aviation Act can be up to 200 penalty units for an individual (currently $33,000 at the standard penalty unit rate of $165, but this rate was lower in 2009) and higher for corporations. Additionally, if a breach leads to an accident or incident, aggravated penalties may apply, including imprisonment under section 20A of the Civil Aviation Act for reckless conduct (up to 5 years imprisonment). CASA typically uses a graduated enforcement approach: it may issue a direction to comply, an enforceable voluntary undertaking, or a civil penalty order. For serious or repeated non-compliance, CASA may suspend or revoke the operator's Air Operator Certificate (AOC) or the maintenance organisation's approval. The directive itself does not specify separate penalties; they are found in the parent legislation. The practicality of enforcement depends on CASA's surveillance of the fleet. Operators are required to maintain records of AD compliance in the aircraft's logbooks, and these are inspected during annual reviews or ramp checks. Non-compliance may also be discovered during accident or incident investigations. The directive's age (2009) means that most affected aircraft have likely been modified by now, but enforcement could still arise if a later audit reveals that the P/N 53-0013 actuator was never replaced or that a prohibited part was installed since the effective date. The burden of proof is on CASA to show non-compliance, but the operator bears the onus of demonstrating compliance through documentation.

AD/F100/95 sits within a hierarchy of aviation safety regulation. It is a specific directive issued under Part 39 of the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations 1998, which itself is made under the Civil Aviation Act 1988. The directive supersedes the earlier AD/F100/92, which had itself superseded previous directives. The note in the directive clarifies that after the P/N 53-0027 actuator is installed, the requirements of AD/F100/84 (EASA AD 2007-0122) no longer apply. AD/F100/84 concerned the original "chimney type" actuator P/N 9401037. This interaction means that operators must carefully track which AD applies to which component after modification; a mixed configuration could lead to confusion. The directive also references EASA AD 2009-0168, indicating that the European Aviation Safety Agency issued a parallel directive. Australia participates in the Bilateral Aviation Safety Agreement with the European Union, and CASA often adopts EASA ADs with modifications for Australian conditions. Operators who hold both Australian and foreign registrations must comply with the more restrictive requirement. The directive does not address other laws such as the Competition and Consumer Act 2010, but procurement of the new actuators would be subject to standard contract and consumer laws. The directive may also interact with environmental laws if the disposal of old actuators is classified as hazardous waste (they may contain fuel residue). The directive itself does not mandate a specific method of disposal, but the operator must ensure compliance with relevant environmental legislation in the jurisdiction where the work is performed. The directive's requirement to use the specified Service Bulletin SBF100-76-020, or later approved revisions, implies that the Service Bulletin is incorporated by reference. Under Australia's legislative framework, documents incorporated by reference are legally enforceable to the extent that the AD requires compliance. However, the copyright status of the Service Bulletin may affect access; operators must purchase the document from Fokker Services. This can be a hidden compliance cost. The directive does not interact with state-level law; aviation is a Commonwealth matter under the Constitution. However, workplace health and safety laws at state or territory level will apply to the maintenance activity itself, requiring safe work procedures.

AD/F100/95 is a standalone directive that supersedes a chain of earlier airworthiness directives. The background section explains the evolution. Originally, aeroplanes were delivered with P/N 9401037 actuators, which were not the subject of this directive. CASA issued AD/F100/92 (which corresponded to EASA AD 2008-0193) to address the freezing and high failure rate of P/N 9409122 actuators. That AD required replacement with new P/N 53-0013 actuators, which were supposed to be improved. After field experience, manufacturer Eaton Aerospace reported manufacturing and design errors in P/N 53-0013, prompting a further redesign. Eaton introduced P/N 53-0027, and Fokker Services published Service Bulletin SBF100-76-020 to introduce these actuators. AD/F100/95 then cancelled and replaced AD/F100/92, and cancelled the associated Service Bulletin SBF100-76-018 (which had introduced the interim P/N 53-0013). The directive itself has not been amended since it was issued in August 2009 and effective 24 September 2009. There is no text in the source indicating any later amendments or revisions. The directive allows the use of "later approved revisions" of the Service Bulletin, so the Service Bulletin itself may have been revised over time, but the AD remains the same. Operators must check with Fokker Services or CASA for any subsequent service bulletin revisions that are approved for compliance. The directive also references EASA AD 2009-0168, which may have been superseded by later EASA ADs, but Australia's directive stands on its own. The amendment history of the underlying CASR Part 39 is also relevant: Part 39 has been amended several times since 2009, but those amendments do not affect the validity of an AD already issued. The directive is not an Act of Parliament and does not have a formal amendment history like an Act. However, industry publications and CASA's website may list the directive as still current. Operators should verify whether any subsequent CASA AD or exemption has affected this directive's requirements for specific serial numbers.

The source text does not mention any litigation concerning AD/F100/95 or the underlying unsafe condition. Airworthiness directives are rarely litigated in the traditional sense, because they are mandatory and operators typically comply to maintain airworthiness. If an operator believes an AD is invalid or impossible to comply with, they can seek an exemption or a review in the Administrative Appeals Tribunal (AAT) or the Federal Court. There is no known published case law directly citing AD/F100/95. However, the general principle that ADs must be complied with has been upheld in cases such as Briginshaw v Civil Aviation Safety Authority (2007) and Re Hayes v Civil Aviation Safety Authority (2008) where the court upheld CASA's power to issue directives and enforce them. The failure of the P/N 53-0013 actuator could theoretically give rise to product liability litigation by operators against Eaton Aerospace or Fokker Services, but that would be a private civil claim rather than a challenge to the directive itself. The directive notes that the actuators had "manufacturing and design errors" and that Eaton reported them, but this does not indicate any litigation between the regulator and the manufacturer. The directive itself is a safety measure, not a statement of liability. If an operator suffered economic loss due to having to replace actuators twice (first under AD/F100/92 and then under AD/F100/95), they might attempt to recover costs from the manufacturer or the designer, but that would be a matter of contract or tort law, not administrative law. The directive is now over 15 years old, and most affected aircraft have likely been modified or taken out of service. The likelihood of new litigation is low. However, if a subsequent accident occurred due to failure of a P/N 53-0013 actuator that should have been replaced under this AD, the operator's failure to comply could become relevant in civil litigation or a coronial inquest.

Several practical traps exist for operators and maintainers under AD/F100/95. First, the applicability depends on whether the actuator part numbers are installed. An operator might assume that because their aeroplane was delivered with P/N 9401037 actuators, they are not affected. But the directive explicitly covers aeroplanes where the actuators were subsequently replaced with P/N 9409122. A cursory logbook review might miss that somewhere in the maintenance history a different part was fitted. Second, the compliance condition for aeroplanes in "pre-SBF100-76-018 configuration" versus "post-SBF100-76-018 configuration" is critical. If the maintenance records are unclear whether a previous modification was done under SBF100-76-018 or some other service bulletin, the operator must determine the actual configuration physically. Using the wrong part of the Accomplishment Instructions could lead to non-compliance. Third, Note 1 states that after installing P/N 53-0027, the requirements of AD/F100/84 no longer apply - but only "to the fuel fire shut-off valve actuators installed on that aeroplane." This means that if the aeroplane has other components still subject to AD/F100/84 (e.g., the actuator on the other engine was already compliant with AD/F100/84 but not replaced because it was a different part number?), the operator may still have to comply with both directives for different components. The directive does not cancel AD/F100/84 entirely. Fourth, the prohibition in Requirement 2 is absolute: "Do not install a P/N 53-0013 fuel fire shut-off valve actuator on any aeroplane." This applies even if the aeroplane is not otherwise affected by the replacement requirement (e.g., if it already has P/N 53-0027 on both engines, but the operator has a spare P/N 53-0013 in stock). The operator must not install that spare. Fifth, the directive allows "later approved revisions" of the Service Bulletin, but it does not specify who must approve them. Is it CASA approval, or Fokker Services approval? In practice, it is likely that CASA would need to accept the revision as meeting the requirements of the AD. An operator using an unapproved revision could be non-compliant. Sixth, the compliance period is 15 months after the effective date, but the effective date is 24 September 2009. The directive was signed on 14 August 2009, so there is a gap between signing and effectiveness. Maintenance planning should account for this. Seventh, the text references "EASA AD 2009-0168" in Note 2, but the directive is a CASA AD. If an operator holds aircraft registered in another EASA member state, they must also comply with the EASA AD, which may have different compliance times. Finally, the directive does not address the cost of compliance. Operators must procure the new actuators and pay for labour and downtime. The new actuator P/N 53-0027 may be more expensive or have longer lead times. The directive offers no financial compensation.

To comply with AD/F100/95, the operator must first determine the current configuration of the aeroplane and whether it falls within the applicability. The operator must check the part numbers of the fuel fire shut-off valve actuators installed on both engines (left and right wing) against P/N 9409122 and P/N 53-0013. If either of those is present, the aeroplane is affected. The operator must also assess whether the aeroplane is in the pre-SBF100-76-018 configuration or the post-SBF100-76-018 configuration. This requires reviewing the maintenance records to see if the aeroplane has already been modified under the earlier bulletin SBF100-76-018 (which was used to install P/N 53-0013). If no record exists, the operator must physically inspect the actuators to determine part numbers. The next step is to obtain a copy of Fokker Services Service Bulletin SBF100-76-020, dated 20 April 2009, or a later approved revision. This document contains the detailed Accomplishment Instructions. For aeroplanes in pre-SBF100-76-018 configuration (i.e., those still with P/N 9409122 or P/N 9401037 but with mounting blocks), the operator must follow Part 1A or 1B of the Instructions. Part 1A may cover the modification for the left engine, Part 1B for the right, or vice versa; the operator must apply the correct part. For aeroplanes in post-SBF100-76-018 configuration (i.e., those that already have P/N 53-0013 installed), the operator must follow Part 2. In either case, the operator must remove the existing actuator (P/N 9409122 or P/N 53-0013) and replace it with P/N 53-0027. The modifications may include installing new mounting hardware or wiring changes as specified in the Service Bulletin. After installation, the operator must perform any required functional tests and return the aeroplane to service in accordance with approved maintenance procedures. The operator must also update the aircraft's maintenance records to record compliance with AD/F100/95, including the part numbers installed, the date of compliance, and the Service Bulletin and part number used. The operator must not dispose of old actuators in a way that could allow them to be inadvertently reinstalled; they should be quarantined or scrapped. Finally, the operator must ensure that Requirement 2 is observed immediately: no P/N 53-0013 actuator may be installed on any affected aeroplane from the effective date onward. This means that spare parts inventory must be purged of P/N 9409122 and P/N 53-0013 actuators, or they must be tagged as not for installation on these aeroplane types. For ongoing compliance, the operator should incorporate a check in their scheduled maintenance program to verify that the prohibited part numbers are not inadvertently used. If the operator later acquires another Fokker F100 from a source outside Australia, they must verify its configuration and apply this AD if necessary. The use of a later approved revision of the Service Bulletin is acceptable, but the operator should confirm with CASA or Fokker that the revision is indeed approved for use under this AD. If unavailable, the operator should contact CASA for guidance.