ICAO Airworthiness Considerations reference ICAO Doc 9760 (Airworthiness Manual)

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

Introduction

International Civil Aviation Organisation (ICAO)  is the specialized United Nations (UN) agency responsible for promoting the safe and orderly development of world civil aviation by establishing standards and rules related to safety, efficiency, and flight regularity to environmental protection. 

Annex 8, Definitions

Appropriate Airworthiness Requirements – means

» The comprehensive and detailed airworthiness codes established, adopted, or accepted by a Contracting State for the class of aircraft, engine, or propeller under consideration. (Annex 8, Chapter 3.2.1)
» A Certificate of Airworthiness shall be issued by a Contracting State based on satisfactory evidence that the aircraft complies with the design aspects of the appropriate airworthiness requirements

Continuing airworthiness – means

» The set of processes by which an aircraft, engine, propeller, or part complies with the applicable airworthiness requirements and remains in a condition for safe operation

throughout its operating life.

Instructions for Continuing Airworthiness. - means

» A set of descriptive data, maintenance planning, and accomplishment instructions,

developed by a design approval holder in accordance with the certification basis for the product.

» The ICAs provide operators with the necessary information to develop their own maintenance program and also for approved maintenance organizations to establish the accomplishment instructions.

Life-limited part - means

» Any part of which a mandatory replacement limit (in hours, cycles, or calendar time) is specified in the type design, the mandatory continuing airworthiness information, or instructions for continuing airworthiness.
» These parts must be permanently removed from service on or before this limit is reached.

Maintenance program - means

» A document that describes the specific scheduled maintenance tasks and their frequency of completion and related procedures, such as a reliability program, necessary for the safe operation of those aircraft to which it applies.

Mandatory Continuing Airworthiness Information - means

» The mandatory requirements for the modification, replacement of parts, or inspection of aircraft and amendment of operating limitations and procedures for the safe operation of the aircraft.
» Among such information is that issued by the Contracting States in the form of airworthiness directives.

ICAO Doc 9760 Introduction

ICAO Doc 9760 Outlines the duties and responsibilities of States to meet the provisions of Annex 8 and Annex 6 with regards to the airworthiness and continuing airworthiness of aircraft

» Provides guidance and support for States to meet their airworthiness safety oversight

functions as described in Doc 9734 Part A (Safety Oversight Manual)

Note - Material in the Airworthiness Manual is intended to guide them in the development of their detailed and comprehensive national codes with a view to introducing uniformity in those national codes.

» The material has no mandatory status and the Contracting States are quite free to differ from it either in detail or in methods

ICAO has identified the following critical elements (CE) of a State’s safety oversight system:

» CE 1: Primary Legislation
» CE 2: Specific Operating Regulations
» CE 3: State Civil Aviation System and Safety Oversight Functions
» CE 4: Technical Personnel Qualification and Training
» CE 5: Technical guidance, tools, and the provision of safety-critical information
» CE 6: Licensing, certification, authorization, and approval obligations
» CE 7: Surveillance obligations
» CE 8: Resolution of safety concerns

CE-2. Specific operating regulations:

» The provision of adequate regulations to address, at a minimum, national requirements emanating from the primary aviation legislation and providing for standardized operational procedures, equipment, and infrastructures (including safety management and training systems), in conformance with the Standards and Recommended Practices (SARPs) contained in the Annexes to the Convention on International Civil Aviation.

Note.— The term “regulations” is used in a generic sense to include but is not limited to instructions, rules, edicts, directives, sets of laws, requirements, policies, and orders.

CE 5. Technical guidance, tools, and the provision of safety-critical information:

» States should provide technical guidance (including processes and procedures), tools (including facilities and equipment), and safety-critical information, as applicable, to their technical personnel to enable them to perform their safety oversight functions.
» In addition, this includes the provision of technical guidance to the aviation industry on the implementation of applicable regulations and instructions.

CE-6. Licensing, certification, authorization, and/or approval obligations:

» The implementation of processes and procedures to ensure that personnel and organizations performing an aviation activity meet the established requirements before they are allowed to exercise the privileges of a license, certificate, authorization, and/or approval to conduct the relevant aviation activity.

Additional ICAO Reference Material

» Annex 1 (Personnel Licensing)
» Annex 6 (Operations of Aircraft)
» Annex 7 (Aircraft Nationality and Registration Marks)
» Annex 8 (Airworthiness of Aircraft)
» Annex 16 (Environmental Protection)
» Annex 19 (Safety Management)
» Doc 9734 (Safety Oversight Manual)
» Doc 9735 (USOAP Audit Programme Continuous Monitoring)
» Doc 8335 (Manual of Procedures for Operations Inspection, Certification

and Continued Surveillance

» Doc 9626 (Manual on the Regulation of International Air Transport)
» Doc 9859 (Safety Management Manual)

Next Steps

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