Repairs and Alterations

The FAA's Engine and Propeller Directorate has re-released draft Advisory Circular (AC) 33-XX, "Turbine Engine Repairs and Alterations-Approval of Technical and Substantiation Data," including 164 pages of appendices and repair templates that accompany the draft guidance. The AC's comment deadline also has been extended 30 days, to Sept. 26.

The agency's moves came just days after an ARSA request to have appendices referenced in the draft AC, but not included in the draft document, made available for public comment.

The FAA has released interim policy for repair and alteration of rotating turbine engine-life-limited parts (RTE-LLP), policy no. ANE-2006-33.3-4. Read the policy statement here (.pdf).

FAA's Aircraft Certification Service (AIR) has posted the Category Parts List (CPL) referenced in Advisory Circular (AC) 43-18 on the FAA Web site. Here's a link to the CPL, a five-page .PDF document. The CPL link also is available from this page on FAA's Aircraft Certification Web site.

AC 43-18 (link to a .PDF version of the AC here), "Fabrication of Aircraft Parts By Maintenance Personnel," describes the CPL as a necessary tool "to determine the criticality category of the part and the level of AIR involvement needed in the design data approval process for certificate holders fabricating parts."

The FAA has released a proposed revision to Advisory Circular 43.13-2A, Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices--Aircraft Alterations. This AC provides information to mechanics and repair stations on how to perform simple alterations to non-pressurized, certificated aircraft weighing less than 12,500 pounds. The AC was last updated in 1977.

The FAA plans to include a new policy that would allow mechanics and repair stations to use acceptable data as approved data for major alterations to certain non-pressurized aircraft. This new policy would be similar to the policy on acceptable data contained in AC 43.13-1B, Acceptable Methods, Techniques, and Practices--Aircraft Inspection and Repair.

This AC provides guidance for handling deviations from manufacturers' service documents in a manner consistent with the regulations. The regulatory framework on which this AC is based was developed jointly by ARSA and the Air Transport Association.