Post # 2 Safety in NDI Operations and Maintenance

Safety in NDI

Chapter 21: Operations and Maintenance

In Aircraft Structure Repair maintenance environment, more specific, Intermediate Level capacity, there is a very close similarity between civilian and military maintenance production. Military often uses the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) guide lines as a model, but will modify procedures as it fits the operations of the military routine or non routine maintenance procedures.  

The first step in receiving a part for repair is to determine the damage and assess if it is repairable or not. Assuming that it is, then the determination of what different repairs or modification this component requires. If the component is requiring a modification, usually that requirement is coming from the Fleet Engineer Support Team of the aircraft company.  Same goes for the (FAA) guidelines such as the pilot compiling with Airworthiness Directives and Service Bulletins and using out sourcing for the maintenance.

As part of the maintenance process for aviation components, also applies to the aircraft support equipment. The military calls is it Government Support Equipment (GSE). These parts also pass through NDI for inspections in order to reduce costs for purchasing new end item support or bench equipment in effort in maintaining a smooth maintenance production flow.  

If there are any modifications to be made, either Intermediate or Depot Level maintenance may perform engine or airframe structure modifications, weight and balance repairs. When the required maintenance is completed, new records are entered into the aircraft life record as the same as FAA requests the same.  In the military, it’s a requirement, not a request.

Depot Level maintenance, usually if the aircraft itself or aircraft platform components make it to this level, it is accompanied with its acceptance records like the Accident/Incident files plus Service Difficulty report records, usually a the aircraft is reached its maximum flight hours or (high time), and is scheduled to be dismantled down to just  the airframe, and all major and structural components are inspected, serviced, NDI’d if needed ( most aircraft structural components are NDI’d/ approved for serviceability) then reassembled, and reinstalled back on the aircraft.

In all removal of either aircraft or GSE components, in most cycles will require some or all of its parts to undergo a NDI inspection for continued serviceability. NDI is the number one safety entity in the process of proper serviceability. In the event of an aircraft accident, parts

Air Detective Tip 13 for Aircraft Accident Investigations

Tip 13: Paper Trail Checklist is a detailed record accountability of the same check list as a military aircraft changes ownership/ custody from one command squadron to another including Intermediate and Depot Level Maintenance squadrons go through the same process. To name a few examples are as follows:

Record and Document Checklist

1. Aircraft and Maintenance

a. Logbooks and maintenance records

b. Aircraft flight manual (AFM) and master manual for revisions check

c. Weight and Balance documents to include cargo manifests

d. Fueling documentation to include location and quality, inspection of last fueling

location

e. Air Worthiness Directives (AD's) and Commercial Service bulletins

f. Maintenance and service inspections and repairs

g. Service Difficulty Reports

h. Cockpit and Flight Data Recorders (do not disturb or open)

2. Operations

a. Mission and historical profile information of flight

b. Maintenance procedures

c. Crew assignments

d. Briefing records

3. Personnel

a. Crew logbooks

b. Training and check ride documents

c. Flight personnel packages that is legally obtainable and relative to mishap

4. Weather

a. All METAR, NEXRADS, TAFS or other reports available to mishap area weather

b. Witness reports of local area

c. Tower special reports

(Lawin, 2014)

Reference

Lawin, R. (2014). Air detective tip 13. In Retrieved from https://erau.blackboard.com/bbcswebdav/pid-15077977-dt-content-rid-29793014_4/institution/Worldwide_Online/SFTY_UG_Courses/SFTY_330/Air_Detective_Tips/AirDetectiveTip13_0911.pdf