Washington 10/01/98---
Transportation's Federal Aviation Administration (FAA),
Secretary of Transportation Rodney E. Slater and FAA
Administrator Jane F. Garvey today announced a multi-year
effort -- which includes both short- and long-term initiatives
-- to address the safety and reliability of systems on
commercial aircraft.
The FAA's Aging Transport Non-Structural Systems Plan responds
to a recommendation by the White House Commission on Aviation
Safety and Security chaired by Vice President Gore.
"Safety is President Clinton's highest transportation
priority and the 'north star' of our efforts at the Department
of Transportation," Secretary Slater said. "This new
initiative continues our work to fulfill the mandate of the
White House Commission, which is a blueprint to help us make
the world's safest aviation system even safer."
The White House Commission specifically recommended that the
FAA work in cooperation with airlines and manufacturers to
expand the FAA's aging aircraft program to include a variety
of systems. These include electrical wiring, connectors,
wiring harnesses, and cables; fuel, hydraulic and pneumatic
lines; and electro-mechanical systems such as pumps, sensors,
and actuators.
"Our aging structures program is successful because of
the joint commitment of the government and the aviation
industry," said Garvey. "This aging systems plan
opens a new era of aviation safety and ensures we are
identifying and addressing potential safety risks."
The Air Transport Association (ATA), in cooperation with the
FAA and the airplane manufacturers, voluntarily launched an
initial inspection program to enhance an already excellent
maintenance program and identify potential problems with aging
systems in the entire commercial fleet.
"The airlines remain relentlessly committed to safety
and, in partnership with the FAA and aircraft manufacturers,
have pledged their full resources and experience to ensuring
the reliability of all commercial aircraft systems -
regardless of age," said ATA President and CEO Carol B.
Hallett. "The short-term information we are obtaining
through our initial inspection program is already providing
the building blocks for determining appropriate maintenance
improvements, as well as long-term design enhancements to
aircraft systems."
Teams of experts will study each specific aircraft model and
produce model-specific aging systems actions. Chairing the
review will be Kent Hollinger, vice president for quality
assurance and engineering at America West Airlines.
The FAA expects to propose regulations by the end of the year
to require certain aircraft manufacturers to demonstrate that
fuel system designs remain safe and prevent possible ignition
sources in the fuel tank. The manufacturer would be required
to conduct a design review to determine any additional
maintenance practices needed to maintain the integrity of
airplane fuel tank wiring. The airlines would be required to
comply with the regulations once the maintenance practices are
developed.
Typically, air carriers use three types of wiring checks.
Zonal inspections, conducted every two years, examine the
condition of exposed wire bundles and connectors.
Airworthiness Directives (ADs) mandate corrective actions.
Inspections of flight critical systems, such as autoland, are
routinely conducted by airlines. Research will determine if a
service-life limit is warranted for aircraft wiring.
Under the Aging Transport Non-Structural Systems Plan, the
longer-term initiatives will:
- Enhance airplane maintenance to better address aging
airplane systems;
- Improve wiring installation drawings and instructions
for continuing airworthiness;
- Evaluate the need for additional maintenance of
transport airplane fuel system wiring and address any
unsafe conditions;
- Add aging systems tasks to the aging airplane research
program; and
- Improve reporting of accident/incident and maintenance
actions involving wiring system components.
The FAA's Plan is based on one year of extensive research. The
FAA held maintenance inspector workshops and meetings with an
airplane manufacturer to discuss aging non-structural system
issues. These efforts revealed that current maintenance
practices for systems are too general and that standard repair
practices are needed. In addition, a team of experts from the
FAA and The Boeing Company inspected five aging aircraft:
three DC-10s, a DC-9 and a Boeing 727, with significant flight
hours or age undergoing heavy maintenance. The team did not
find any problems that would require taking aircraft out of
service but did see a need to improve inspections and
maintenance practices.
The FAA's aging aircraft program requires the FAA
administrator to prescribe regulations that ensure the
structural airworthiness of aging aircraft. This proactive
program focuses on defining requirements for maintaining
aircraft through improved inspections and repair practices. It
ensures that the structural safety level assumed to have
existed at the time the aircraft was first FAA-approved is
maintained for as long as the aircraft operates. Through the
cooperative efforts of government and industry, the FAA's
aging aircraft program has improved aviation safety in the
United States and throughout the world.
The FAA's Aging Transport Non-Structural Systems Plan is
available on the World Wide Web at: www.faa.gov under the
Office of Public Affairs' "reports &
publications" site.
FACT SHEET FAA AGING AIRCRAFT SYSTEMS PLAN
The Federal Aviation Administration's (FAA) Aging Aircraft
Systems responds to a February 1997 recommendation by the
White House Commission on Aviation Safety and Security,
chaired by Vice President Al Gore. The Commission recommended
that FAA work with industry to expand its aging aircraft
program to cover wiring, hydraulic lines, control cables and
pneumatic devices.
Background on FAA's Aging Aircraft Program · FAA's aging
aircraft program is a joint effort with industry established
after an Aloha Airlines accident in 1988. -- FAA prescribes
regulations that ensure the structural airworthiness of aging
aircraft. Focus is on defining requirements for maintaining
aircraft through modifications, enhanced inspections and
improved repair practices. -- Through cooperative efforts of
government and industry, the FAA's aging aircraft program has
improved aviation safety throughout the world.
The Challenge · The FAA's safety goal is that, as aircraft
get older, both structural and non-structural components must
be adequately inspected and maintained as long as a plane
remains in commercial service. The challenge is to develop
maintenance and inspection practices for aircraft systems that
will adequately address aging aircraft components. -- As
airplanes age, the requirements for inspections, repairs and
parts replacement change, and many times, increase. -- Each
transport aircraft model has a system design requiring
maintenance and inspections unique to that aircraft. -- U.S.
fleet has a mix of older airplanes and newer, highly
computerized aircraft. Aging systems in each type also must be
addressed differently.
Developing New Knowledge · Much new information on the state
of aging aircraft systems has come to light over the last
several years. Taking that knowledge, the FAA developed
several initiatives to determine how these systems perform in
actual operations. -- FAA/Boeing team evaluated five typical
"aging" aircraft: three DC-10s, a DC-9, a Boeing
727, with special emphasis on wiring, lightning protection and
flight control systems. -- FAA held meetings with maintenance
inspectors and Boeing engineers to discuss aging systems
concerns. -- Using accident and incident databases, the FAA
identified trends in aging systems. -- FAA continued its
specific investigation of fuel tank wiring that began with
Boeing 747s and 737s. --
Review found that some wiring systems were difficult to
inspect and there were insufficient inspection criteria
for corrosion on some flight control and hydraulic components.
Seven Steps to Safer Systems The FAA Aging Systems plan
combines regulatory actions, focused inspections, research,
training and advice from the aviation community. It includes
seven initiatives to enhance the safety of non-structural
aircraft components. · In-depth review of the aging aircraft
fleet and safety recommendations for specific aircraft -- The
program targets certain aircraft in the U.S. fleet to assess
the impact of age on systems. A joint FAA/industry task force
will evaluate service histories and bulletins for each
aircraft model. The FAA will take regulatory actions as
needed. · Enhance airplane maintenance to better address
aging airplane systems. -- The FAA will revise guidance for
inspectors to improve
examination of wiring, identify corrosion of systems, avoid
contamination of wiring, identify maintenance and
inspection intervals, review training programs, and revise
maintenance guidance. -- The
Air Transport Association (ATA), working with the FAA and
aircraft manufacturers, recently produced a wiring practices
document ("Spec 117") that is recommended for use by
all operators who do not now have those practices in their
safety programs. · Add aging systems tasks to the FAA
research program. -- Research
tasks will develop ways to better determine the current
condition of aging wiring components, determine if the
estimated life for the wiring is appropriate and establish new
criteria as needed. -- The
program will help develop new wiring inspection technologies
that do not require disassembly of components. -- The
plan also will examine how aging affects electromagnetic and
lightning protection systems. · Improve
reporting of accidents, incidents and maintenance actions
involving aircraft wiring systems -- The
FAA will ask ATA to develop codes that better identify wiring
system component failures and maintenance actions. --
The plan seeks to improve the reporting format for accidents,
incidents and maintenance actions, and adds data bases to
improve analysis of aging systems. · Evaluate
the need for additional maintenance of transport airplane fuel
system wiring and address any unsafe conditions -- FAA is
reviewing service problems in the U.S. fleet to identify any
unsafe conditions in fuel system wiring, and will take
corrective actions as needed. -- FAA will propose a
Special Federal Aviation Regulation (SFAR) to require certain
aircraft manufacturers to show that fuel system designs
preclude ignition sources. Manufacturers would have to conduct
a design review to determine if any additional maintenance
practices are needed to maintain fuel tank wiring safety. Air
carriers would be required to implement those practices. ·
Improve wiring
installation drawings and instructions for continuing
airworthiness -- Industry
will define "best practices" for wiring
modifications -- Program will develop training aids for wiring
system installation, and a job aid for evaluating the
adequacy of installation drawings and airworthiness
instructions. · Establish an Aging Transport Systems Advisory
Committee to coordinate the Plans' initiatives. -- Program
calls for the committee to start fleet reviews, coordinate
efforts with other government agencies, identify training
needs for FAA engineers and inspectors and hold annual
workshops for maintenance personnel.
http://aafo.com/news/FAAage.htm
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