Unapproved aircraft part

Unapproved aircraft parts are aircraft parts not approved by civil aviation authorities for installation on type certified aircraft.

For example, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) defines a "standard part" as a part produced in accordance with government regulations, and it defines an "approved part" as a "standard part" that is in accordance with specific a set of criteria and specifications.[1] The FAA standards for approved parts are in FAR 21.305. In the United States parts may be approved through a Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA), with type certification procedures through approval from the agency's approval, through Technical Standard Orders (TSOs), and from conforming to recognized specifications from the aviation industry.[2]

Parts manufactured without an aviation authority's approval would be "unapproved." Unapproved parts include those that are counterfeit, have been used beyond their time limits, were previously approved but were not properly returned to service, are stolen, come with fraudulent labels, production overruns that were not sold with the agency's permission, and those that are untraceable.[3]

Types and origins of unapproved parts

The term "counterfeit parts" refers to parts made of materials inferior to the materials used in genuine parts.[3] "Life-limited" and "time-expired" parts are those used beyond their lifespan. Some life-limited parts were taken from scrap yards and illegally installed on aircraft.[2] The term "bogus parts" can loosely refer to various categories of unapproved parts.[3]

Boeing has stated that mechanical parts, electronic parts and materials have been counterfeited. Physical parts include bolts, nuts, and rivets. Electronic parts include resistors, capacitors, and integrated circuits. Materials include composite chemicals, steel, and titanium.[4]

Some unapproved parts are production overruns from genuine manufacturers. Some of these parts may be airworthy, but many others are not, such as copies removed from the product line that are not airworthy and therefore not intended to be installed on any aircraft.[5]

A part which was legally salvaged would not be approved if the supporting information does not state the required information.[5]

As of 1996, unapproved parts may originate from sources such as counterfeiters, theft organizations, "strip and dip" operations, and from production overrun piles. The "strip and dip" groups hide defects with metal plating.[5]

History

The crash of Partnair Flight 394 in 1989 resulted from the installation of counterfeit aircraft parts, [5] where counterfeit bolts holding the vertical stabilizer of a Convair CV-580 in place wore down excessively, allowing the tail to vibrate excessively and eventually break off.

In 1990 President of the United States George H.W. Bush appointed Mary Schiavo as the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Schiavo began campaigns to curb the sale of unapproved parts and led subsequent investigations. By 1996, these investigations resulted in hundreds of criminal convictions, restitution and fines totalling about US$47 million, and prison sentences lasting as long as five years.[5]

In August 1993 a group of criminals stole a cockpit computer from a Carnival Airlines aircraft at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport. During the day the criminals contacted "potential buyers" at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York City. The "buyers" were actually Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) agents performing "Operation Skycrook," a sting operation to deter thieves of commercial aircraft parts.[6]

In 1995, after the crash of American Airlines Flight 965, scavengers took cockpit avionics, engine thrust reversers, and other parts from the crash site by helicopter. Many of the stolen parts appeared for sale in the Greater Miami area.[7] In response, American Airlines published a 14-page list stating all of the parts missing from the crashed aircraft. The list included the serial numbers of all of the parts.[5]

An FAA study concluded that from May 1973 to April 1996 unapproved parts contributed to 174 aircraft accidents and minor incidents, causing 39 injuries and 17 fatalities. None of the involved accidents and incidents in the study involved major commercial airlines. Some critics, including William Cohen, a member of the U.S. Senate from Maine, argued that the FAA may have understated the role of unapproved parts of some accidents because the agency did not want to take the responsibility of regulating the aircraft parts industry. James Frisbee, who retired in 1992 as the quality control head of Northwest Airlines, argued that unapproved parts may have been a factor in far more accidents than the numbers stated on U.S. federal accident and incident records.[5]

The U.S. government passed the Aircraft Safety Act of 2000 to allow the government to target the sale and use of unapproved parts.[8]

Around 2003 the U.S. state of Florida was an international center for the vending of unapproved aircraft parts.[9]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Standard Parts." Federal Aviation Administration. 1/3. Retrieved on May 26, 2011. "The FAA’s acceptance of a standard part as an approved part is based on the certification that the part has been designed and produced in accordance with an independent established set of specifications and criteria."
  2. 1 2 "Unapproved Aircraft Parts Investigation." Joint Depot Maintenance Activities Group of the U.S. Air Force. 4/16. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.
  3. 1 2 3 "Unapproved Aircraft Parts Investigation." Joint Depot Maintenance Activities Group of the U.S. Air Force. 3/16. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.
  4. ↑ Nevison, Susannah. "Counterfeit Parts Infiltrate Aerospace Projects." Industry Market Trends. April 28, 2009. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Bajak, Frank. "BLACK MARKET OF THE SKIES SUBSTANDARD AIRPLANE PARTS POSE RISK" Associated Press at the Columbus Dispatch. Sunday December 8, 1996. Insight 5B.
  6. ↑ Dubocq, Tom. "FBI STING NETS 31 IN SALE OF STOLEN AIRCRAFT PARTS." The Miami Herald. Friday September 24, 1993. Final Edition Local B1.
  7. ↑ Bajak, Frank. "'BOGUS PARTS' PLAGUE AIRLINES : SUBSTANDARD COMPONENTS PUT PUBLIC AT RISK." Associated Press at Daily News. December 8, 1996. Retrieved on June 8, 2009.
  8. ↑ "Unapproved Aircraft Parts Investigation Archived 2004-02-28 at the Wayback Machine.." Joint Depot Maintenance Activities Group of the U.S. Air Force. 8/16. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Imitating property is theft." The Economist. May 15, 2003. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.
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