Aircraft Maintenance Technology

NOV-DEC 2013

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INDUSTRY VIEWPOINT FBO Mechanics: Critical GA Maintenance Needs Second Set of Eyes GA accident rates remain at approximately 1,500 accidents per year with almost 500 annual fatalities T By John Goglia John Goglia has 40+ years experience in the aviation industry. He was the first NTSB member to hold an FAA aircraft mechanic's certificate. He can be reached at gogliaj@ yahoo.com. 42 he general aviation accident rate It would not be surprising to find a high remains stubbornly high despite rate of re-works, if GA had a similar RII sysnumerous attempts to reduce it by tem and began tracking these numbers. Of the FAA, the NTSB, and various course, air carriers are required by regulapilot and maintenance organization to have RIIs, while GA is not. However, tions. Among the problems found by the air carriers have learned the importance of NTSB that contribute to GA accidents are those second sets of eyes and frequently add maintenance mistakes to critical systems that RIIs to their maintenance programs even subsequently fail in flight. when not required by the aircraft manuUp until recently, recommendations were facturer or the FAA. So voluntary adoption generally limited to complying with the fedof such a system by individual mechanics eral aviation regulations, or FBOs could be a major manufacturer's recomstep forward in aviation NTSB: Have "a qualified mendations, and maintesafety and preventing GA nance best practices. But accidents caused by mainperson, other than the with the GA accident rate tenance errors. person who performed remaining at approximateAside from the emotionthe maintenance, inspect ly 1,500 accidents per year al toll of being responsible with almost 500 annual for an aircraft accident, the safety and security fatalities, it was clear that especially if it results in of critical items that more needed to be done. injury and death, there are received maintenance." I have been pleased to clearly financial penalties see that one of the NTSB's from accidents. Even if recommendations to lower insurance covers any ultithe GA accident rate is for maintenance techmate liability, there are so many uninsured nicians to have "a qualified person, other than costs — especially time away from work the person who performed the maintenance, answering to NTSB investigators and FAA inspect the safety and security of critical items inspectors, not to mention media attention that received maintenance." For someone who and any lawsuits that may result. spent 30 plus years as an airline mechanic Many of you are probably thinking that used to the system of required inspection it's tough to find a second set of eyes when items — those items deemed so critical to safeyou work at a small company or for yourty of flight that a separately qualified inspecself. I know. I ran my own FBO at Logan tor needed to sign off on them — this recomInternational Airport for more than 12 years. mendation is a long time coming. I know that Even with a dozen mechanics it would have as an RII-qualified inspector for a number of been difficult to schedule a second set of airlines, the requirement resulted in numereyes. But in retrospect there are a number of ous occasions where mistakes were caught by situations which, while not resulting in an virtue of having that second set of eyes. For a accident, did result in problems that might while, the air carrier industry was tracking the well have been caught earlier by a second number of so-called re-works and they were set of eyes. AMT alarmingly high. November/December 2013 Aircraft Maintenance Technology • www.AviationPros.com • www.AMTSociety.org

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