Requirements for a

Maintenance Program

By Capt. Furqan Hussain

Introduction

• There are certain regulatory requirements that each airline must

adhere to and certain additional necessary maintenance activities
that airlines need to have in place to carry out their approved
maintenance program requirements. The aircraft and aircraft
systems are sophisticated, with miles of wires to chase,
electromechanical valves, airframe systems, engines, auxiliary
power units, hydraulic systems, and navigation systems
Introduction
• all of which require a well-trained professional technician with
aircraft systems knowledge, experience, and a keen mechanical
ability to correct any kind of discrepancy according to the approved
maintenance program.These mechanical tasks and maintenance
programs require oversight and monitoring to make sure airlines
and aircraft operators are carrying out them out effectively.
Aviation Maintenance Program
Outlined
NOTE: The Ops Specs also describes the
airline’s responsibility for performing all
• The AC 120-16E is the type of information
approved maintenance and alterations
provided by the FAA to the aviation whether the work is accomplished by the
community. airline or its contractor (repair station), yet the
primary burden of responsibility
• The FAA requires each commercial airline
of the maintenance task and their approval is
to have an operations specifications (Ops carried out by the maintenance
Specs) document authorizing maintenance provider, who is responsible for ensuring that
program, the maintenance manuals each aircraft released into service

required by FAA regulations, and their is airworthy and safe.

operational equipment as a commercial

airliner.
Aviation Maintenance • 1. Airworthiness responsibility

Program Outlined • 2. Air carrier maintenance manual

• 3. Air carrier maintenance organization
• 4. Maintenance record keeping system
• 5. Accomplishment and approval of
The following is an example of a maintenance AC
120-16E. It describes the maintenance and alterations

scope and content of an air carrier aircraft • 6. Maintenance schedule

maintenance program. It explains • 7. Required inspection items (RII)
the background of these programs as well as the • 8. Contract maintenance
FAA regulatory requirements.
• 9. Personnel training
FAA AC 120-16E describes the elements listed
below: • 10. Continuous analysis and surveillance
system (CASS)
Aviation Maintenance Program Outlined
• Airworthiness responsibility • Air carrier maintenance manual

• The airframe manufacturer and the vendors of equipment

• Under FAA regulation, an air carrier or
installed on the aircraft provide maintenance manuals for
operator is responsible for all maintenance
the equipment. The maintenance manuals required by
and alteration on that airline’s aircraft. AC 120-16E, however, are the air carrier’s manual
system and an expansion of the manufacturer’s manuals.
• The airline must have operations
While the AC specifies how to maintain and revise, it also
specifications for each model aircraft flown identifies, describes, and defines the manuals and offers
and must adhere to the FAA approved detailed procedures for accomplishing these tasks.

maintenance program the Ops Specs

identifies.
Aviation Maintenance Program Outlined

• Air carrier maintenance organization

• FAA states that an airline must have a maintenance organization

“that is able to perform, supervise, manage and amend your
program, manage and guide your maintenance personnel, and
provide direction necessary to achieve your maintenance program
objectives.” The essential elements of this organization as
discussed in the AC are summarized as follows:
 Air carrier maintenance
organization • 2. Management personnel are qualified and have
sufficient experience and expertise to effectively
delegate, manage, and control the maintenance
program without any confusion.

An organization or process to develop and upgrade • 3. The inspection function for RII, an integral part of

maintenance manuals that describes all aspects of maintenance, must be separated from other routine

the maintenance program. inspection and daily maintenance functions.

• 4. Oversight and management activities to ensure
1. Procedures to ensure that all aircraft released
all maintenance functions are being accomplished in
for service after maintenance are airworthy and
accordance and managements’ effort to ensure that
properly maintained with the highest possible
the maintenance program remains effective.
degree of safety.
 Maintenance record
keeping
• Other records must be maintained in the
• One of these is the maintenance logbook.
form of reports for certain types of
This book is maintained in the aircraft and
maintenance problems.
includes flight information relative to each
• These would include the mechanical
leg of the flight and includes flight times,
reliability report (MRR), the mechanical
fuel and oil uplift, crew data, etc. It also
interruption summary (MIS), and reports of
provides a place for the flight crews to
major alterations and major repairs.
identify any maintenance-related problems
they encounter during flight.
 Accomplishment and
approval of maintenance
and alterations
• The maintenance program must include instructions for

conducting maintenance on the aircraft, as well as specific

maintenance for engines, propellers, parts, and appliances.

This will include scheduled and unscheduled maintenance.

Scheduled maintenance consists of tasks performed

according to maintenance time limitations, including required

inspection checks. The unscheduled maintenance must

follow procedures, instructions, and standards for

maintenance that occurs on an unforeseen basis.

 RII (Required
Inspection Items)
• - is defined as a designation of the items
of maintenance and alteration that must
be inspected (required inspections)
including at least those that could result
in a failure, malfunction, or defect
endangering the safe operation of the
aircraft, if not performed properly or if
improper parts or materials are used.
 Contract maintenance
Although an airline is responsible for all maintenance on its
aircraft, it does not perform all of the maintenance itself.
Very often, some or all of the maintenance may be
performed under contract with some other airline, repair
station, or a third-party maintenance organization. Contract
maintenance could be done on a regular basis, as is most
often the case, but there are instances when the aircraft in
need of servicing in a location where the airline has no
maintenance activities of its own.
Continue analysis and surveillance system

CASS is a program to detect and correct deficiencies in maintenance program effectiveness and

performance through surveillance, analysis, and corrective action. It looks at possible problem

areas, determines the corrective action required, and tracks the activity afterward to determine the

effectiveness of the correction. This is accomplished through data collection and analysis and

through the monitoring of all activities in the maintenance function of the airlines, its suppliers, and

its contractors.
Summary of FAA Requirements
The objectives of an airline maintenance program were stated are as follows:

I. To ensure the realization of the inherent safety and reliability levels of the equipment.
II. To restore safety and reliability to their inherent levels when deterioration has occurred.
III. To obtain the information necessary for design improvement of those items whose
inherent reliability proves inadequate.
IV. To accomplish these objectives at a minimum total cost, including the cost of
maintenance and the cost of residual failures.