Avionics News March 2014 - 17

CANADA

FREQUENTLY ASKED
QUESTIONS
United States
Hidden Damage Inspection
The following information is from Title 14 CFR Part 145
and Advisory Circular 145-9, Guide for Developing and
Evaluating Repair Station and Quality Control Manuals.

QUESTION:

The following question came from an AEA member repair station. "During an internal audit, I realized we have included a 'hidden damage inspection'
task in our maintenance working documents. What
are the requirements and best practices for accomplishing the hidden damage inspection?"

ANSWER:

The regulation (§ 145.211 (c) (1) (iii)) requires the
inspection of "all articles that have been involved in
an accident for hidden damage before maintenance,
preventive maintenance or alteration is performed."
This inspection is required on parts that have
been involved in an aircraft accident. The inspection
includes a search for any secondary damage that could
result from an accident, such as fire or heat damage.
This is a two-step process:
1. Your incoming (preliminary) inspection
should identify those articles that have physical evidence of an accident and/or fire.
2. Should there be evidence of accident/fire, a thorough tear-down will be accomplished to identify
the extent of the damage and subsequent repair.
This inspection is often recorded on the same
form used for the preliminary inspection.

News & Regulatory Updates
Preliminary Issue and Consulting
Assessment Issued for CAR 521
Following the Canadian Aviation Regulation
Advisory Council plenary session in October,
Transport Canada Civil Aviation identified
CAR 521 as a high priority task. As such, the
TCCA has released the preliminary issue and
consultation assessment for comment. This
assessment is part of the new CARAC process,
which occurs prior to an issue entering the
actual CARAC regulatory development process.
This allows the TCCA to prioritize activities
and determine how the issue will move through
CARAC upfront.
Since CAR 521 was released in 2009, several
issues have been brought to the TCCA as well as
the minister. Industry had several concerns, and
during this time, there has been added burden to
applicants and delegates. The PICA has identified
10 issues with CAR 521:
1.
2.

3.
4.

5.
Note: The AEA offers "Frequently Asked Questions" to foster
greater understanding of the aviation regulations and the rules
governing the industry. The AEA strives to ensure FAQs are as
accurate as possible at the time of publication; however, rules
change. Therefore information received from an AEA FAQ should
be verified before being relied upon. This information is not meant
to serve as legal advice. If you have particular legal questions, they
should be directed to an attorney. The AEA disclaims any warranty
for the accuracy of the information provided.

Certain terminologies used are not
consistent with the global industry.
It grants the privilege to approve minor
design changes to design approval holders
only; no alternative method to approve data
is identified.
It does not define the threshold for a major
design change to CAN-TSO articles.
It does not provide for a process that
mirrors the internationally accepted
certification process for an auxiliary power
unit.
It requires design approval holders to
investigate all service difficulty reports
and to develop a corrective action if the
reported service difficulty was a result of
a deficiency; this is an added burden to
industry.

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Avionics News March 2014

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