Unapproved aircraft partsareaircraft partsnot approved bycivil aviation authoritiesfor installation ontype certified aircraft.
For example, theFederal 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 a specific 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 are described as "unapproved"; they may be inferior counterfeits, have been used beyond their time limits, have been previously approved but not properly returned to service, be stolen, come with fraudulent labels, production overruns that were not sold with the agency's permission, and those that are untraceable.[3]The parts are cheaper to buy and more profitable to sell than approved parts.[4]Unapproved parts have been found on both civilian and military aircraft,[5]and faulty ones have caused hundreds of incidents and crashes, some fatal, with about 24 crashes between 2010 and 2016.[4]
Many other industries besides aviation are plagued by counterfeit and bogus parts of inferior quality,[6]but the potential consequences of such failures are far less serious.
Types and origins of unapproved parts
edit"Counterfeit parts" are those not made by the manufacturer they claim to be from. They are usually made of inferior materials by inadequate processes and not tested, designed only to bear a close resemblance to genuine parts.[3]The term "bogus parts" can loosely refer to various categories of unapproved parts.[3]"Life-limited" and "time-expired" parts are legitimate parts that have been used beyond their design lifespan. Some parts which are life-limited or of unknown condition are taken from scrapyards, and illegally installed on aircraft.[2]A used part may be legally salvaged, but supporting information must be supplied.[7]Some unapproved parts come from genuine manufacturers' production lines; some of these may simply be airworthy production overruns, but others may be defective samples that failed required testing.[7]
Boeinghas 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.[8]In 1996 unapproved parts were found to originate from sources such as counterfeiters, thieves, "strip and dip" operations which hide defects with metal plating, and from production overruns.[7]
History
editThe crash ofPartnair Flight 394in 1989 resulted from the installation of counterfeit aircraft parts.[7]Counterfeit bolts, attaching the vertical stabilizer of aConvair CV-580to the fuselage, wore down excessively, allowing the tail to vibrate to the extent that it eventually broke off.
In 1990,US PresidentGeorge H. W. BushappointedMary Schiavoas the Inspector General of theU.S. Department of Transportation.Schiavo began campaigns to curb the sale of unapproved parts and led subsequent investigations. By 1996, the investigations resulted in hundreds of criminal convictions, restitution, fines totalling about US$47 million, and prison sentences of up to five years.[7]
In August 1993, a group of criminals stole a cockpit computer from aCarnival Airlinesaircraft atFort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.During the day the criminals contacted "potential buyers" atJohn F. Kennedy International AirportinNew York City.The "buyers" were actuallyFederal Bureau of Investigation(FBI) agents performing "Operation Skycrook," asting operationto deter thieves of commercial aircraft parts.[9]
In 1995, after the crash ofAmerican 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 theGreater Miamiarea.[10]In response,American Airlinespublished a 14-page list of the parts missing from the crashed aircraft, including the serial numbers.[7]
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 accidents and incidents in the study involved major commercial airlines. Some critics, includingWilliam Cohen,a member of theU.S. SenatefromMaine,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 ofNorthwest Airlines,argued that unapproved parts may have been a factor in far more accidents than the numbers stated onU.S. federalaccident and incident records.[7]
TheUnited States Congresspassed the Aircraft Safety Act of 2000, allowing the government to target the sale and use of unapproved parts.[11]
Around 2003, theU.S. stateofFloridawas an international center for the vending of unapproved aircraft parts.[12]
Old and faulty parts scavenged from scrapped aircraft were sold illegally as new parts in Italy from the late 1990s, and were reported in 2002 to be possibly linked to up to ten air crashes.[13]Unapproved parts are considered to have played a role in about 24 crashes that killed seven people and injured 18 between 2010 and 2016.[4]
See also
edit
References
edit- ^"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."
- ^ab"Unapproved Aircraft Parts Investigation."Joint Depot Maintenance Activities Groupof theU.S. Air Force.4/16. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.
- ^abc"Unapproved Aircraft Parts Investigation."Joint Depot Maintenance Activities Groupof theU.S. Air Force.3/16. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.
- ^abcStephen Stock, Jeremy Carroll and Kevin Nious (3 November 2016)."Unapproved Airplane Parts Creating Safety Risk in Aviation".NBC Bay Area.Retrieved2 January2020.
- ^"China fake parts 'used in US military, equipment'".BBC News.22 May 2012.Retrieved2 January2020.
- ^"Think before you buy - counterfeit vehicle parts".UK Government.25 July 2018.Retrieved2 January2020.
- ^abcdefgBajak, Frank. "BLACK MARKET OF THE SKIES SUBSTANDARD AIRPLANE PARTS POSE RISK"Associated Pressat theColumbus Dispatch.Sunday December 8, 1996. Insight 5B.
- ^Nevison, Susannah. "Counterfeit Parts Infiltrate Aerospace Projects."Industry Market Trends.April 28, 2009. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.
- ^Dubocq, Tom. "FBI STING NETS 31 IN SALE OF STOLEN AIRCRAFT PARTS."The Miami Herald.Friday September 24, 1993. Final Edition Local pages 1B and 2B.Clipping of firstandof second pageatNewspapers.
- ^Bajak, Frank. "'BOGUS PARTS' PLAGUE AIRLINES: SUBSTANDARD COMPONENTS PUT PUBLIC AT RISK."Associated PressatDaily News.December 8, 1996. Retrieved on June 8, 2009.
- ^"Unapproved Aircraft Parts InvestigationArchived2004-02-28 at theWayback Machine."Joint Depot Maintenance Activities Groupof theU.S. Air Force.8/16. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.
- ^"Imitating property is theft."The Economist.May 15, 2003. Retrieved on May 26, 2011.
- ^Philip Willan and Julian Borger (29 January 2002)."Second-hand aircraft parts scam linked to 10 air crashes".The Guardian.Retrieved3 January2020.