Unapproved aircraft part
Encyclopedia
Unapproved aircraft parts are aircraft parts not approved by civil aviation authorities
for installation on type certified aircraft
.
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. 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 typecertification procedures through approval from the agency's approval, through Technical Standard Orders (TSOS), and from conforming to recognized specifications from the aviation industry.
The FAA says that a part manufactured without the agency's approval is an "unapproved part." Unapproved parts include counterfeit parts, parts used beyond their time limits, approved parts that were not properly returned to service, stolen parts, parts with fraudulent labels, production overruns that were not sold with the agency's permission, and untraceable parts.
Boeing
has stated that mechanical parts, electronic parts and materials have been counterfeited. Physical parts include bolts, fluid bolts, nuts, and rivets. The electronic parts include capacitors and integrated circuits. Materials include composite chemicals and titanium.
Some unapproved parts are production overruns from genuine part manufacturers. Some of these parts may be airworthy, and some may be copies removed from the product line that were not considered airworthy and not intended to be installed on aircraft.
A part which was legally salvaged would be unapproved if the supporting information does not state the correct, true origins and/or composition of the part.
As of 1996, unapproved parts may originate from counterfeiters, part theft organizations, "strip and dip" operations, and from production overrun piles. The "strip and dip" groups hide defects with metal plating.
in 1989 resulted from the installation of forged aircraft parts.
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. The investigations under Schiavo, by 1996, lead to over 150 criminal convictions and over $47 million USD in restitutions and fines. The resulting prison sentences from the convictions ranged up to five years per person.
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 Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) agents of the "Operation Skycrook," which targeted thieves of commercial aircraft parts.
In 1995, after American Airlines Flight 965
crashed into a mountain in Colombia
, scavengers took cockpit avionics, engine thrust reversers, and other parts of the aircraft, and took the parts from the mountain by helicopter. The stolen parts appeared for sale in the Greater Miami area. In a response, the airline 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.
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 more accidents than the numbers stated on U.S. federal
accident and incident records.
The U.S. government passed the Aircraft Safety Act of 2000 to allow the government to target the sale and use of unapproved parts.
Around 2003 the U.S. state
of Florida
was an international center of unapproved aircraft part vending.
Civil Aviation Authority
This is a list of national and supra-national civil aviation authorities.-See also:* Air route authority between the United States and the People's Republic of China* National Transportation Safety Board -External links:****...
for installation on type certified aircraft
Type certificate
A Type Certificate, is awarded by aviation regulating bodies to aerospace manufacturers after it has been established that the particular design of a civil aircraft, engine, or propeller has fulfilled the regulating bodies' current prevailing airworthiness requirements for the safe conduct of...
.
The Federal Aviation Administration
Federal Aviation Administration
The Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
(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. The FAA standards for approved parts are in FAR 21.305. In the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
parts may be approved through a Parts Manufacturer Approval (PMA), with typecertification procedures through approval from the agency's approval, through Technical Standard Orders (TSOS), and from conforming to recognized specifications from the aviation industry.
The FAA says that a part manufactured without the agency's approval is an "unapproved part." Unapproved parts include counterfeit parts, parts used beyond their time limits, approved parts that were not properly returned to service, stolen parts, parts with fraudulent labels, production overruns that were not sold with the agency's permission, and untraceable parts.
Types and origins of unapproved parts
The term "counterfeit parts" refers to parts made of materials inferior to the materials that make up genuine parts. "Life-limited parts" and "time-expired parts" refer to parts used beyond their lifespan. Some life-limited parts were taken from scrap yards and illegally installed on aircraft. The term "bogus parts" can loosely refer to various categories of unapproved parts.Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
has stated that mechanical parts, electronic parts and materials have been counterfeited. Physical parts include bolts, fluid bolts, nuts, and rivets. The electronic parts include capacitors and integrated circuits. Materials include composite chemicals and titanium.
Some unapproved parts are production overruns from genuine part manufacturers. Some of these parts may be airworthy, and some may be copies removed from the product line that were not considered airworthy and not intended to be installed on aircraft.
A part which was legally salvaged would be unapproved if the supporting information does not state the correct, true origins and/or composition of the part.
As of 1996, unapproved parts may originate from counterfeiters, part theft organizations, "strip and dip" operations, and from production overrun piles. The "strip and dip" groups hide defects with metal plating.
History
The crash of Partnair Flight 394Partnair Flight 394
Partnair Flight 394 was a chartered flight which crashed on 8 September 1989 off the coast of Denmark 18 km north of Hirtshals. All 50 passengers and 5 crew members on board the aircraft perished, making it the deadliest civilian aviation accident involving an all-Norwegian airline company. It...
in 1989 resulted from the installation of forged aircraft parts.
In 1990 President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
George H.W. Bush appointed Mary Schiavo
Mary Schiavo
Mary Fackler Schiavo, JD, is the outspoken former Inspector General of the United States Department of Transportation , where for six years she withstood pressure from within DOT and the Federal Aviation Administration as she sought to expose and correct problems at the agencies...
as the Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Transportation. Schiavo began campaigns to curb the sale of unapproved parts. The investigations under Schiavo, by 1996, lead to over 150 criminal convictions and over $47 million USD in restitutions and fines. The resulting prison sentences from the convictions ranged up to five years per person.
In August 1993 a group of criminals stole a cockpit computer from a Carnival Airlines aircraft at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport
Fort Lauderdale – Hollywood International Airport is an international commercial airport located in unincorporated Broward County, Florida, three miles southwest of the central business district of Fort Lauderdale...
. During the day the criminals contacted potential buyers at John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport
John F. Kennedy International Airport is an international airport located in the borough of Queens in New York City, about southeast of Lower Manhattan. It is the busiest international air passenger gateway to the United States, handling more international traffic than any other airport in North...
in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
. The buyers were Federal Bureau of Investigation
Federal Bureau of Investigation
The Federal Bureau of Investigation is an agency of the United States Department of Justice that serves as both a federal criminal investigative body and an internal intelligence agency . The FBI has investigative jurisdiction over violations of more than 200 categories of federal crime...
(FBI) agents of the "Operation Skycrook," which targeted thieves of commercial aircraft parts.
In 1995, after American Airlines Flight 965
American Airlines Flight 965
American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757 registered , was a scheduled flight from Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia, which crashed into a mountain in Buga, Colombia on December 20, 1995, killing 151 passengers and 8...
crashed into a mountain in Colombia
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...
, scavengers took cockpit avionics, engine thrust reversers, and other parts of the aircraft, and took the parts from the mountain by helicopter. The stolen parts appeared for sale in the Greater Miami area. In a response, the airline 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.
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
William Cohen
William Sebastian Cohen is an author and American politician from the U.S. state of Maine. A Republican, Cohen served as Secretary of Defense under Democratic President Bill Clinton.-Early life and education:...
, a member of the U.S. Senate from Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, 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
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...
, argued that unapproved parts may have been a factor in more accidents than the numbers stated on U.S. federal
Federal government of the United States
The federal government of the United States is the national government of the constitutional republic of fifty states that is the United States of America. The federal government comprises three distinct branches of government: a legislative, an executive and a judiciary. These branches and...
accident and incident records.
The U.S. government passed the Aircraft Safety Act of 2000 to allow the government to target the sale and use of unapproved parts.
Around 2003 the U.S. state
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
was an international center of unapproved aircraft part vending.
See also
- Partnair Flight 394Partnair Flight 394Partnair Flight 394 was a chartered flight which crashed on 8 September 1989 off the coast of Denmark 18 km north of Hirtshals. All 50 passengers and 5 crew members on board the aircraft perished, making it the deadliest civilian aviation accident involving an all-Norwegian airline company. It...
- American Airlines Flight 965American Airlines Flight 965American Airlines Flight 965, a Boeing 757 registered , was a scheduled flight from Miami International Airport in Miami, Florida to Alfonso Bonilla Aragón International Airport in Cali, Colombia, which crashed into a mountain in Buga, Colombia on December 20, 1995, killing 151 passengers and 8...
- Air safetyAir safetyAir safety is a term encompassing the theory, investigation and categorization of flight failures, and the prevention of such failures through regulation, education and training. It can also be applied in the context of campaigns that inform the public as to the safety of air travel.-United...
External links
- Suspected Unapproved Parts (SUP) Program - Federal Aviation AdministrationFederal Aviation AdministrationThe Federal Aviation Administration is the national aviation authority of the United States. An agency of the United States Department of Transportation, it has authority to regulate and oversee all aspects of civil aviation in the U.S...
- Willian, Philip and Julian Borger. "Second-hand aircraft parts scam linked to 10 air crashes." The GuardianThe GuardianThe Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
. Tuesday January 29, 2002.