The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) unveiled a broad new initiative designed to enhance the continued safety of aircraft wiring systems from their design and installation through their retirement.
The FAA based its Enhanced Airworthiness Program for Airplane Systems(EAPAS) on results from an intensive data-gathering effort on aircraft wiring systems done in cooperation with industry. EAPAS combines a variety of near- and longer-term actions into a plan to increase awareness of wiring system degradation, implement improved procedures for wiring maintenance and design, and spread that information throughout the aviation
community.
The FAA's overall Aging Transport Non-Structural Systems program, an effort
begun in October 1998, is an expansion of the agency's Aging Aircraft Program. The systems program, modeled after the very successful aging structures program started more than a decade ago, looks into wiring systems (i.e., connectors, wiring harnesses, and cables) and is now reviewing mechanical systems.
The near-term elements of the EAPAS plan are designed to accomplish rapid safety improvements based on existing, fully analyzed data. These actions, which are now mostly complete, include:
- Essential corrective actions such as airworthiness directives
- Promoting adoption of better wiring maintenance procedures though a "lessons learned" document from aircraft manufacturers to operators
- New training and guidance materials for FAA inspectors and engineers
- Sharing information with industry and worldwide civil aviation authorities
Longer-term actions in the EAPAS plan are intended to "institutionalize" management of aircraft wiring systems by revising existing federal regulations concerning design, certification, maintenance and continued
airworthiness of aircraft wiring systems.
This effort would include:
- Proposing a Special Federal Aviation Regulation to mandate the development of an enhanced inspection program
- Proposing regulatory changes to enhance maintenance programs for systems
- Developing advisory materials that define an aging systems maintenance and training program
- Proposing changes to certification regulations to specifically address wiring systems
EAPAS' longer-term actions also will improve reporting and analysis of wire problems and foster research and development in the areas of arc fault circuit breakers, automated wire inspection tools, wire separation and wire
performance.
The full text of the EAPAS plan is available under the "Reports, Publications & Documents" section at:
http://www.faa.gov/apa/newsroom.htm