AIRWORTHINESS DIRECTIVE
On the effective date specified below, and for the reasons set out in the background section, the CASA delegate whose signature appears below issues the following Airworthiness Directive (AD) under subregulation 39.001 (1) of CASR 1998.  The AD requires that the action set out in the requirement section (being action that the delegate considers necessary to correct an unsafe condition) be taken in relation to the aircraft or aeronautical product mentioned in the applicability section: (a) in the circumstances mentioned in the requirement section; and (b) in accordance with the instructions set out in the requirement section; and (c) at the time mentioned in the compliance section.
DH 82 (Tiger Moth) Series Aeroplanes
AD/DH 82/18
Inspection of Wooden Structure
17/2014
 
Applicability:
This AD applies to all variants of DH 82 and DH 82A aircraft.

Definitions:
In this AD:
DHSL means de Havilland Support Ltd.
TNS means DHSL Technical News Sheet CT (Moth) No. 32, Issue 3, dated 1 December 2008.

Requirement:
1.    Suspend all aerobatic flight.
2.    Unless previously accomplished:
(a)   install all inspection rings and drainage provisions in accordance with the provisions of Figure 3 of Appendix G of the TNS;
(b)   gain access to the internal structure by removing all ‘pop-in’ panels, or otherwise cut away the fabric from inside inspection rings to facilitate access to the entire internal wooden structure;
(c)   perform a detailed inspection of the internal wooden structure in accordance with the inspection criteria provided at Appendix B, paragraph 6 ‘Inspection Content’ of the TNS;
(d)   remove all unserviceable wooden structure from service, or conduct repairs in accordance with approved data.
3.    Report all defects discovered to CASA via the Service Difficulty Reporting System.

Compliance:
1.    The action in Requirement 1 must be taken within two weeks of the effective date of this AD. Aerobatic flight can only recommence once the airworthiness of the wooden structure of the wings and empennage has been established in accordance with Requirement 2 of this AD.
2.    The actions in Requirement 2 must be taken:
(a)   for aircraft used for commercial purposes prescribed in regulation 206 of CAR 1988 – by 30 October 2014,
(b)   for all other aircraft – by the end of 31 December 2015.

 
 
 
The actions in Requirement 2 must be repeated at the earlier of the following:
(i)    every 200 hours;
(ii)   within 36 months of the previous inspection;
(iii)  in the event of a ground strike, birdstrike or any other wing strike of sufficient magnitude to leave witness marks on the fabric covering, or otherwise obvious damage to a wing. In the case of such an event, both the top and bottom wings are to be inspected on the side of the aircraft where the impact occurred.
3.    The action in Requirement 3 must be taken in accordance with Part 4B – Defect Reporting of CAR 1988.

 
The effective date of this AD is 14 August 2014.

Background:
This AD ensures the requirement to conduct visual inspections of the entire internal wooden structure of the aircraft’s flying surfaces to ensure the continued airworthiness of all variants of DH 82 and DH 82A aircraft.

Nicholas Ward
Delegate of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority
11 August 2014