Considerations Related to Technical Implementation Procedures Airworthiness and Environmental Certification between UK CAA & EASA

Overview by Sofema Online (SOL) www.sofemaonline.com

Introduction – TIPs provide specific procedures related to the following:

»  Airworthiness certificates and monitoring of civil aeronautical products;

» Environmental certificates and testing of civil aeronautical products;

» Design and production certificates; and

» Monitoring of design and production organisations.

Design Certificates

Certain Design Certificates are subject to validation and others are accepted (see the following details):

» For Design Certificates subject to validation, the validation process will be based to the maximum extent practicable on:

o The technical evaluations,
o Tests,
o Inspections, and
o Compliance certifications made by the other Technical Agent as CA.

Note -  It is generally intended that each Party relies on and has confidence in the other Party’s certification oversight system.

» Principles of involvement for validation.
» The level of involvement of the VA during validation reference due consideration to the following:

o The experience of the Competent Authority of the other Party as CA; the more one Competent Authority has experience as CA, the more the other Competent Authority, when acting as VA, is expected to rely on the CA;
o The overall experience gained by the VA during previous validation exercises of similar product categories with the CA;
o The nature and complexity of the design to be validated;
o The performance and experience of the applicant with the VA; and
o The outcome of initial and continued qualification requirements. (The higher the continued confidence of the VA in the CA, the more the VA will reduce its level of involvement)

Non-significant supplemental type certificates and non-significant major changes to a type certificate approved within the European Union regulatory system;

» When issued by EASA as CA or by an Approved Organisation under Union law (EU DOA) for a civil aeronautical product certificated or validated by the UK CAA shall be accepted by the CAA UK as VA without any validation activities.

o These design changes are considered approved by the UK CAA and are included in the TC holder or STC holder’s validated type design data. This process does not require an application to the UK CAA.

» In case an accepted non-significant major change requires an update to the UK CAA’s validated Type Certificate (VTC) or its data sheet (VTCDS), a further application for an administrative update of the VTC/VTCDS shall be made by the TC holder to the UK CAA and the necessary data shall be provided to the UK CAA;

» For design changes where the UK CAA’s validated type certification basis of the product is modified due to the following features:

o The product has novel or unusual design features relative to the design practices on Which the applicable certification specifications are based;
o The intended use of the product is unconventional; or
o Experience from other similar products in service or products having similar design features or newly identified hazards have shown that unsafe conditions may develop;
o Experience with other similar products in service or products having similar design features or newly identified hazards has shown that unsafe conditions may develop; or
o The type certification basis has been amended to introduce a deviation or an equivalent safety finding,
o The design change approval holder shall submit to the UK CAA the data detailing this modification of the type certification basis.

Design changes are classified as minor in accordance with UK Part 21 or EASA Part 21.A.91:

Where a design change is approved by a CA for a civil aeronautical product previously certified or validated by the other Party’s Technical Agent and that design change would be classified as minor pursuant to either UK Part 21.A.91, EASA Part 21.A.91, UK Part21.A.611 or EASA Part 21.A.611 it shall be accepted by the VA without any validation activities.

» These design changes are considered approved by the VA and are included in the Design Approval Holder type design data where applicable. This process does not require an application to the CA.

» If a minor design change to a Part or Appliance requires the update of the EASA validated certificate (for instance to add a part number), a further application for an administrative update of the validated ETSOA shall be made by the approval holder to EASA and the necessary data shall be provided to EASA.

Design data for a repair approved within the European Union regulatory system:

» The UK CAA will accept EASA-approved design data produced under EASA Part 21 Subpart M used in support of major or minor repairs regardless of the SOD of the civil aeronautical product, if:

o The UK CAA has certified or validated the product;
o EASA is the CA for the repair design data; and
o The EASA repair design data approval is substantiated via a repair design approval letter or a repair design approval issued under a DOA.

» In these circumstances, repair design data approved by EASA are considered approved by UK CAA without any validation activities. This process does not require an application to the UK CAA.

Design data for a minor repair within the United Kingdom regulatory system:

EASA will accept UK CAA-approved design data produced under UK Part 21 Subpart M used in support of minor repairs regardless of the SOD of the civil aeronautical product, if:

o EASA has certificated or validated the product;
o The UK CAA is the CA for the repair design data; and
o The UK CAA repair design data approval is substantiated via a repair design approval letter or a repair design approval issued under a DOA.

» In these circumstances, repair design data approved by UK CAA are considered approved by EASA without any validation activities. This process does not require an application to EASA.

»  Design data approved under the United Kingdom regulatory system in support of major repairs will undergo one of the validation processes described above.

Technical standard order authorisations approved within the European Union regulatory system:

Technical Standard Order Authorisations issued by EASA under EASA Part 21 Subpart O are considered approved by CAA UK without any validation activities and are equivalent to a TSOA issued by UK CAA under UK Part 21 Subpart O. This process does not require an application to UK CAA.

Next Steps

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