Aviation Safety: FAA Oversight of Repair Stations Needs Improvement

The comprehensive Data Quality Plan details the strategies for improving data quality. It was updated in September 1997, and includes the strategies implemented to address data quality issues, and provide a vehicle to track short- and long-term activities. FAA continues to monitor the implementation of the strategy for data quality improvement to ensure reliable date for use in SPAS. The Flight Standards Information Resource Management staff is responsible for monitoring the progress of data improvement efforts. Efforts in this area are conducted on a continuous basis.

FAA's ISP resulted in the development of ATOS. ATOS surveillance is performed in a system-safety context that includes oversight of repair stations that support a carrier's operations. It utilizes job aids, which include areas which inspectors should review for each type of inspection. ATOS was implemented for the 10 largest carriers on October 1, 1998. ATOS only covers the carrier's oversight of a repair station, rather than that of the FAA inspector assigned to the facility. Recently, GAO suggested that FAA not expand ATOS to additional airlines, repair stations, or other aviation operations until problems GAO identified were corrected. FAA acknowledged that there were significant challenges to further implementation and agreed that expansion needs to be delayed. At this time there is no timetable for expansion of ATOS to cover repair station oversight.

FAA's Improved Surveillance Process effort resulted in the development of the Air Transport Oversight System (ATOS). ATOS surveillance is performed in a system-safety context that includes oversight of repair stations that support a carrier's operations. ATOS includes team inspections to perform an in-depth look at an airline's policies and procedures. ATOS was implemented for the 10 largest carriers on October 1, 1998. ATOS only covers the carrier's oversight of a repair station, rather than that of the FAA inspector assigned to the facility. Recently, GAO suggested that FAA not expand ATOS to additional airlines, repair stations, or other aviation operations until problems GAO identified were corrected. FAA acknowledged that there were significant challenges to further implementation and agreed that expansion needs to be delayed. At this time there is no timetable for expansion of ATOS.

FAA issued a Handbook Bulletin (HBAW 99-06) requiring documentation in certificated repair station files. The bulletin supplements current guidance in the Airworthiness Inspectors' handbook, and will be incorporated into a future revision. The Bulletin does not address the issues raised by GAO. Specifically, GAO cited the lack of documentation in the FAA files of repair stations regarding inspection results, and documentation regarding how any deficiencies were corrected. The bulletin does not include any discussion of maintaining records regarding inspection results, deficiency letters prepared by FAA, repair station responses to deficiencies, or FAA's responses indicating that deficiencies were corrected. Furthermore, the Bulletin discusses "guidance for the minimum documentation that the repair station might maintain," rather than the intention of the recommendation, records that FAA should maintain. FAA issued another bulletin, effective September 7, 2000, which provides new guidance for recording inspection results in PTRS, the automated inspection reporting system. The guidance provides for greater detail of inspection results and findings, and requires that the inspectors complete all inspection areas for a report to be completed. However, the guidance remains silent on reporting the repair station's response to the inspector's findings, the corrective action taken, FAA's approval for the corrective action, and finally, that the deficiencies were corrected.