See ATSB report BS/20010005,
"Investigation into Ansett Australia maintenance safety
deficiencies and the control of continuing airworthiness of Class A
aircraft".
The Australian Transport Safety Bureau recommends that the Civil
Aviation Safety Authority review the structure and procedures of
the major defect reporting system to ensure that:
* all relevant defect information is received from operators in a
timely manner
* defect information received is monitored, processed, and
analysed
* defect information and information derived from subsequent
investigations is disseminated to all relevant parties and made
publicly available.
The Authority acknowledges the intent of this Recommendation. It
has taken a number of steps to address past problems and is
implementing procedures to make the Major Defect Reporting (MDR)
system, now known as SDR, more effective and efficient.
As the Bureau is aware, in 2002 the Authority commissioned an
independent consultant to conduct a safety assurance review on the
backlog of Service Difficulty Reports. The aim was to review the
backlog of MDRs and, inter alia, identify and leave open all MDRs
which included possible critical safety-of-flight issues. A further
beneficial outcome of the project is that a substantial compendium
of safety data is available which will be invaluable in future
investigations.
As a consequence of this review, the Authority has implemented a
number of significant measures that address the points raised in
the Recommendation.
To ensure that SDRs are actioned in a timely manner, the
Authority:
* requires monthly reports on outstanding SDRs to be provided for
the information of the Executive;
* provides regular reports for consideration by the CASA Executive
through the Executive Operations Committee;
* has established procedures to ensure that Principal Maintenance
Specialists review all incoming SDRs and allocate them to relevant
Technical Specialists;
* has trained Principal Maintenance Specialists and Technical
Specialists in associated information systems;
* is implementing more effective consultation mechanisms for
regional and central office staff; and
* is developing a SDR Workflow Management System, including new
information technology applications, which will result in
appropriate workflow management and the timely actioning of
SDRs.
The ATSB will continue to monitor the implementation of CASA's
proposed safety action.
In October 2006, CASA issued Notice of Proposed Rule Making NPRM
0604MS, A Proposal to Modernise and Harmonise Rules for the
Maintenance of Australian Aircraft and Licensing of Aircraft
Maintenance Personnel for industry comment by 27 November
2006.
The NPRM addresses the policy outcomes of adopting a regulatory
style similar to that proven by the European Aviation Safety Agency
(EASA) and would amend Parts 42, 66, 145 and 147 of the Civil
Aviation Safety Regulations 1998 (CASRs).
The NPRM, as proposed, should address the issue in the
recommendation.
