Commonwealth legislation

AD/PA-34/4 - Stabilator - Inspection and Drilling of Drain Holes

RepealedCTH

This Act has been repealed and is no longer in force. It is retained for historical reference.

Jurisdiction

Commonwealth

Collection

legislative instrument

Plain English Summary

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What this does: This Airworthiness Directive mandates a safety modification for specific Piper aircraft to prevent control system failures. Owners must inspect the stabilator (the moveable tail surface that controls the aircraft's pitch) and drill drain holes to allow water to escape.

Who it affects: Owners and operators of Piper PA-200 model aircraft (part of the Seneca series).

Key requirements:

Inspection: Examine the stabilator structure following the manufacturer's guidelines (Piper Service Letter No. 615)
Modification: Drill drain holes at specified locations to prevent water trapping
Timeline: Complete the work within 100 hours of flight time after the directive took effect

Why it matters: Without drain holes, water can accumulate inside the stabilator structure, causing corrosion or freezing at altitude. This could jam the control surface, making it impossible to control the aircraft's nose-up or nose-down movement, creating a serious flight safety hazard.

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AD/PA-34/4 - Stabilator - Inspection and Drilling of Drain Holes

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

SCHEDULE OF AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVES

View image in the official source Piper PA-34 (Seneca) Series Aeroplanes

AD/PA-34/4 Stabilator - Inspection and Drilling of Drain Holes 9/72

Applicability: Model PA-34-200. Document: Piper SL No. 615.

Compliance: Within 100 hours time in service after 29 September 1972.

Source text

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