ARSA RSS Feed ARSA LinkedIn
Ask ARSA Pay ARSA

Aviation Rulemaking Committee (ARC) Completes Work

In 2008, the FAA and industry were hit with flight cancellations due to suspected compliance issues regarding airworthiness directives (ADs). Two “teams” (the Independent Review Team (IRT)) and Airworthiness Directive Compliance Review Team (AD CRT) were chartered and issued reports that discussed recommendations.

In 2009, the FAA Administrator chartered an ARC “to evaluate and address the recommendations of the IRT and AD CRT relating to ADs.” The ARC completed its tasks and issued its final report on August 20, 2011; ARSA played an important role on the committee and Executive Director Sarah MacLeod served on its AD Implementation Working Group.

The root cause of concerns over compliance centers on the FAA’s system for correcting unsafe conditions in rulemaking but not completely following through with the design approval holder’s changes to type design for future maintenance activities. In other words, the type certificate holder normally changes it design well ahead of an AD mandating action be taken on the operating fleet. Indeed, most ADs require compliance with a service bulletin that may have been issued years before the rule. When the “mandatory” design change for an operator is not matched to the maintenance information provided by the design approval holder, it creates a potential for the “unsafe condition:” to be “reintroduced” by “normal maintenance.”

During the two years of deliberations on potential solutions, the agency, manufacturers, airlines and maintenance providers attempted to synchronize the design, production and maintenance regulations with the realities of incorporating and maintaining hundreds and sometimes thousands of ADs on a particular make and model of product.

The full history and results of the committee’s work can be found here.

~~~ posted 9/13/11 ~~~



More from ARSA

ARSA Working – CAAC Certifications and D&A Rulemaking

As of Dec. 7, the association is working two key issues related to international maintenance oversight: (1) ARSA has received numerous queries from members related to a notice from the…Read More

FAA Releases Foreign D&A Testing Proposal

On Dec. 7, the FAA published its notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) “Drug and Alcohol Testing of Certificated Repair Station Employees Located Outside of the United States.” Comments on the…Read More

Digitalization, SMS Loom Large at MMT

ARSA Executive Vice President Christian A. Klein returned from Cologne on Dec. 2 after participating in the annual Maintenance Management Team (MMT) meeting. Through the MMT, four of the leading…Read More

2024 Annual Conference – Register Now

March 12-15, 2024 Event Information | Registration | Hotel (Coming Soon) Arlington, Virginia and Washington, D.C. with Livestream Options for Conference Ambassadors Experience the maintenance community’s premier event. Join ARSA…Read More

Is it an Appliance? Why Do you Care? [On-demand Training]

“Appliance” – Why Do You Care? A Practical Question in 14 CFR Compliance This session allows participants with confirmed knowledge of the regulatory definition of “appliance” to put the term…Read More
ARSA