Flight Training - March 2019 - 42

WHAT HAPPENS IF YOU DON'T COMPLY?

Noncompliance with an AD is a violation of the FARs. FAR
39.7 states that anyone who operates a product that doesn't
meet an airworthiness directive is in violation of the regs, and
enforcement action can be taken. Furthermore, each flight
out of compliance is a separate violation, so they can pile up.
Fines can be imposed, and certificate action can be taken
against the pilot if he or she flies an unairworthy aircraft.
An airplane out of compliance with an AD loses its
airworthy status, so in addition to the fact that it can't be
legally flown, it might lose its insurance coverage if it is.
ADs are serious business.
SO WHERE DO I FIND AN AD?

ON YOUR SIDE
AOPA works on common-sense solutions
Unlike automotive recalls, aircraft owners bear the cost
of complying with airworthiness directives. And since
that cost can run well into the thousands of dollars,
it's important to balance safety considerations with
common sense. Is this truly a safety concern? How
critical is it? Are there alternative, less expensive ways
to address the unsafe condition? AOPA advocates
on behalf of members for common-sense solutions
to keeping aircraft airworthy. After discovering some
camshaft gears in certain Continental engines had
missing or damaged teeth, Continental Motors issued
a mandatory service bulletin-which is typically issued
in conjunction with a legally enforceable AD-requiring the replacement of the camshaft gear "within 100
hours of operation, at the next engine overhaul (not to
exceed 12 years engine time in service), or whenever camshaft gear is accessible, whichever occurs
first." This meant thousands of engines would have
to be torn down-even those that had recently been
overhauled. AOPA collaborated with Continental, the
FAA, and aircraft owner groups to find an alternative
solution: Continental soon thereafter revised the service bulletin to critical, not mandatory, and included
a replacement procedure option that will not require
splitting the engine case. -Sarah Deener

The FAA website maintains a database, searchable by make
and model, of all current and historical ADs back to 1943.
Compliance with ADs needs to be recorded in the aircraft's
logbooks, and in many cases can be found in an AD log sheet
or compliance table. The log sheet is especially useful to
ensure timely compliance with recurring ADs. Just because
an airplane is "in annual," doesn't necessarily mean its ADs
are up to date, as some are based on flight hours rather than
calendar dates. A good log sheet saves flipping through endless pages of maintenance records to ensure compliance.
But that's not all you should be aware of when becoming
familiar with all available information.
COUSINS

The kissing cousin of the AD is the SB, or service bulletin. Rather than originating with the FAA, SBs come from
the manufacturer of the airplane, engine, propeller, or
"appliance." For most Part 91 aircraft, service bulletins
are optional from a legal perspective, even if labeled as
"mandatory" by manufacturer. Legally, the FAA requires
compliance only with ADs, but aircraft owners should be
aware of service bulletins, evaluate them, and discuss them
with their mechanic.
There also are documents called SAIBs, special airworthiness information bulletins. Issued by the FAA, they
provide nonmandatory information regarding airworthiness "concerns" that don't rise to the level of an unsafe
condition requiring an AD, and they often align with
manufacturer service bulletins. Additionally, the FAA
issues airworthiness concern sheets to gather input from
operators early in the process of developing an AD.
MAINTENANCE SAVVY

As an airplane owner I'm sometimes exasperated by the
time and expense of ADs, but as a pilot I'm grateful for
them. After all, most of the airplanes in the GA fleet are oldies but goodies. As such, as they age, unexpected problems
come up. From my perspective, it's nice to know that someone has my back, looking for problems and helping me and
my mechanic head them off at the pass. But owner or not,
all pilots need to be smart about ADs for two reasons. First,
hey, it's the law. And second, it's just "plane" smart. FT
WILLIAM E. DUBOIS is an aviation writer, world speed record holder,

and two-time National Champion air racer. www.planetales.net
42 FLIGHT TRAINING MARCH 2019

http://www.planetales.net

Flight Training - March 2019

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Flight Training - March 2019