DOT Inspector General Warns Of Non-Certified Airline Maintenance

[Flavius22]

y Jay Boehmer

JULY 23, 2007 -- Lawmakers and watchdogs are ringing the alarm on domestic carriers' use of foreign repair stations for aircraft maintenance and repairs. A U.S. Department of Transportation Inspector General report released last month said airlines increasingly are outsourcing aircraft maintenance, and gaps remain in Federal Aviation Administration supervision of some repair stations that they use.

"We have emphasized that the issue is not where maintenance is performed, but that maintenance requires effective oversight," DOT Inspector General Calvin Scovel III said in the report.

Based on a review of 19 U.S.-based carriers' maintenance vendor lists, the Inspector General found that all the carriers have used repair stations that have not been certified by FAA. "We identified over 1,400 non-certificated repair facilities performing maintenance, and more than 100 of these facilities were located in foreign countries," the Inspector General's report noted. "FAA's efforts to improve its oversight in this area are still underway."

http://www.btnmag.com/businesstravelnews/headlines/frontpage_display.jsp?vnu_content_id=1003612932

[wicked_hind]

It sounds crazy, but a lot of your large air carriers do their heavy maintenance at repair stations outside the U.S. The repairman may nto be able to read, speak, and understand English, but under F.A.R. Part 65.101 (6) which states under the eligibility section, he can perform maintenance but he can't sign off the repair. Only an A&P with an Inspection Authorization can do so.

F.A.R. Part 65.101 (6): Must be able to read, write, speak, and understand the English language, or, in the case of an applicant who does not meet this requirement and who is employed outside the United States by a certified repair station, a certificated U.S. commerical air operator, or a certificated air carrier,described in paragraph "C" of this section, have his certificate endorsed "Valid Only Outside The United States"

So if there are cases of non certified maintienance being performed, the air carrier and the FAA are definitely going to take immediate action, and any affected aircraft will be grounded and repaired.