Airworthiness Directive 97-13-02
one-timeAirworthiness Directives; Diamond Aircraft Industries, Inc. Model DA 20-A1 Airplanes, Serial Numbers 10002 Through 10287
What this AD requires
This document publishes in the Federal Register an amendment adopting Airworthiness Directive (AD) 97-13-02, which was sent previously to all known U.S. owners and operators of Diamond Aircraft Industries, Inc. (Diamond) Model DA 20-A1 airplanes. This AD requires fabricating and installing a placard and inserting limitations into the airplane's flight manual limitations section prohibiting spin maneuvers until a modification is installed. This AD results from an occurrence where a pilot's shoe jammed between the rudder control pedal and the firewall during a spin recovery in a Canadian registered HOAC-Austria Model DV 20 KATANA airplane. The actions specified by this AD are intended to prevent the pilot's shoe from becoming jammed between the rudder pedal and firewall which could result in loss of control of the airplane.
Which aircraft AD 97-13-02 applies to
Rudder control pedal area modification per Diamond Alert SB No. DA20-53-01A Rev. 0 (dated Jun 5 1997) to prevent the pilot's shoe becoming jammed between the rudder pedal and firewall; an interim 'SPINS PROHIBITED' placard and AFM limitation entry are required until the modification is done, which then removes the placard/AFM requirement.
Whether AD 97-13-02 actually applies to your aircraft (by serial and installed parts) and whether it’s already complied with comes from that aircraft’s records.
How AD compliance is recorded
A valid compliance record (14 CFR 43.9) states:
Tailplate reads a tail number’s logbooks and matches every applicable AD — including this one — to its compliance evidence, with recurring next-due dates computed.
Look up a tail number →Read the full directive (Federal Register)Applicability is derived from the FAA directive corpus and is advisory, not a legal airworthiness determination. Compliance is established only from an aircraft’s actual records.