Abstract
A wide regulatory reform is taking place world-wide in the continuing airworthiness domain. The major influences for promoting changes in how continuing airworthiness is managed are civil and military aircraft accidents to which fatigue, corrosion, wear, deterioration in ageing aircraft and the need for regulatory harmonisation of the International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO) signatory states and the military were the contributing factors. Another emerging factor is the conversion of older passenger aircraft to freighters, which brings forth the concern that aircraft are being used in a capacity for which they were not designed. The challenges of the regulatory reform are acceptance, certification of maintenance organizations and personnel, education and training, as well as information sharing and administration. This paper presents both the drivers and challenges in these areas and proposes a related change management framework.
Highlights
In the early use of the concept of ‘continuing airworthiness’, it was clearly recognised at the time that there was a need for communication among the manufacturer, who identifies and enumerates the safety-significant items, the operator’s maintenance engineers, who in service would become more familiar with the aircraft, the operator, who is mostly concerned with the business model, and the generation of profit and the airworthiness authorities, who were concerned that yesterday-certified aircraft would not exactly meet the current safety standards
The complete documents and their comments are accessible on the CASA website; –– 2011–2013: further consultation and revision leading to amendments to the Civil Aviation Safety Regulations (CASRs) Part 42-Continuing Airworthiness Acceptable Means of Compliance and Guidance Material has ended on 14 October 2013; –– since 2013: the implementation of the regulations, certification and licensing of continuing airworthiness maintenance organisations (CAMO) and engineers as well as education for the operators are carried out
There is no definitive definition for ageing, the effects are too evident in fatigue cracking, corrosion, wear and deterioration
Summary
In the early use of the concept of ‘continuing airworthiness’, it was clearly recognised at the time that there was a need for communication among the manufacturer, who identifies and enumerates the safety-significant items, the operator’s maintenance engineers, who in service would become more familiar with the aircraft, the operator, who is mostly concerned with the business model, and the generation of profit and the airworthiness authorities, who were concerned that yesterday-certified aircraft would not exactly meet the current safety standards. Continuing airworthiness: major drivers and challenges in civil and military aviation airworthiness in the commercial aviation domain was the Aloha Airlines B737-200 accident that happened in April 1988. The safety issues raised in the accident investigation report were the quality of the operator’s maintenance program and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) surveillance of the programs. Sir Haddon-Cave QC (2009) has identified the factors that have contributed to the loss of the Nimrod, highlighting the inadequate appreciation of the needs of aged aircraft and the military airworthiness system that was not considered to be fit for the purpose. CASA has modelled its continuing airworthiness frameworks on the frameworks of European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) for large commercial aircraft and the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) for small general aviation aircraft
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