Commonwealth legislation

AD/GENERAL/57 Amdt 1 - Pitot Heat Inoperative Indicators - Installation

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This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

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Commonwealth

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

2/10 complexity

What this does: This safety rule requires large commercial aircraft to install warning lights that alert pilots when the heating systems for their airspeed sensors are not working.

Who it affects: Airlines operating transport-category turbine aircraft weighing more than 5,700 kg (such as commercial jets) in regular passenger service.

The technical requirement: Aircraft must have an amber warning light visible to the flight crew that activates when:

The pitot heat is switched off, or
The pitot heat is switched on but any heating element has failed

Why it matters: Pitot tubes are sensors that measure how fast the aircraft is flying. If they ice up at high altitude (which happens when the heaters fail), they give false readings. Without a warning light, pilots may not realize their airspeed indicators are unreliable, which creates serious safety risks during critical phases of flight like takeoff and landing.

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Current sections

Direct links to the current provisions in AD/GENERAL/57 Amdt 1 - Pitot Heat Inoperative Indicators - Installation.

AD/GENERAL/57 Amdt 1 - Pitot Heat Inoperative Indicators - Installation

COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA (Civil Aviation Regulations 1998), PART 39 - 105 CIVIL AVIATION SAFETY AUTHORITY

SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

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Aircraft - General

AD/GENERAL/57

Amdt 1

Pitot Heat Inoperative Indicators - Installation 10/92

Applicability: Transport Category turbine powered aircraft with a maximum take-off weight greater than 5700 Kg used in regular public transport operations.

Requirement: If a flight instrument pitot heating system is installed, an indication system must be provided to indicate to the flight crew when that pitot heating system is not operating. The indication system must comply with the following requirements:

(a) The indication provided must incorporate an amber light that is in clear view of a flight crew member.

(b) The indication provided must be designated to alert the flight crew if either of the following conditions exist:

(1) The pitot heating system is switched “OFF”.

(2) The pitot heating system is switched “ON” and any pitot tube heating element is inoperative.

Compliance: Prior to 17 September 1992.

Background: Pilots of transport aircraft have encountered difficulties because they were unaware that pitot heat was inoperative. This amendment is issued to clarify the applicability following the introduction of Commuter Category aircraft.

Source text

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

1 AD/GENERAL/57 Amdt 1 - Pitot Heat Inoperative Indicators - Installation