145.A.45: maintenance data

(a) The organisation shall hold and use applicable current maintenance data which is necessary in the performance of maintenance, including modifications and repairs. “Applicable” means relevant to any aircraft, component or process specified in the organisation’s terms of approval and in any associated capability list. In the case of maintenance data provided by the person or organisation requesting the maintenance, the organisation shall hold such data when the work is in progress, with the exception of the need to comply with point 145.A.55(a)(3).

(b) Applicable maintenance data is the data specified in point M.A.401(b) of Annex I (Part-M) or in point ML.A.401(b) of Annex Vb (Part-ML), as applicable.

(c) The organisation shall establish procedures to ensure that if inaccurate, incomplete or ambiguous procedure, practice, information or maintenance instruction is found in the maintenance data used by maintenance personnel, it is recorded as part of the internal safety reporting scheme referred to in point 145.A.202 and notified to the author of the maintenance data.

(d) The organisation may only modify maintenance instructions in accordance with a procedure that is specified in the MOE. With respect to changes to maintenance instructions, the organisation shall demonstrate that they result in equivalent or improved maintenance standards, and shall inform the author of the maintenance instructions of such changes. For the purposes of this point, “maintenance instructions” mean instructions on how to carry out a particular maintenance task; they exclude the engineering design of repairs and modifications.

(e) The organisation shall provide a common work card or worksheet system to be used throughout the relevant parts of the organisation. In addition, the organisation shall either accurately transcribe the maintenance data referred to in points (b) and (d) onto such work cards or worksheets, or make precise reference to the particular maintenance task or tasks contained in that maintenance data. Work cards and worksheets may be computer generated and held in an electronic database that is adequately protected against unauthorised alteration, and for which there is a backup electronic database which shall be updated within 24 hours after an entry is made to the main electronic database. Complex or long maintenance tasks shall be transcribed onto the work cards or worksheets and subdivided into clear stages to ensure that there is a record of the accomplishment of the complete maintenance task. When the organisation provides maintenance services to an aircraft operator which requires its own work card or worksheet system to be used, then such work card or worksheet system may be used. In that case, the organisation shall establish a procedure to ensure that those work cards or worksheets are correctly completed.

(f) The organisation shall ensure that all applicable maintenance data is readily available for use when required by maintenance personnel.

(g) The organisation shall establish a procedure to ensure that maintenance data it controls is kept up to date. In the case of operator/customer controlled and provided maintenance data, the organisation shall be able to show that either it has written confirmation from the operator/customer that all such maintenance data is up to date or it has work orders specifying the amendment status of the maintenance data to be used or it can show that it is on the operator/customer maintenance data amendment list.

1. The referenced procedure should ensure that when maintenance personnel discover inaccurate, incomplete or ambiguous information in the maintenance data, they should record the details as part of the internal safety reporting scheme specified in point 145.A.202. The procedure should then ensure that the Part-145 approved maintenance organisation notifies the problem to the author of the maintenance data in a timely manner. A record of such communications to the author of the maintenance data should be retained by the Part-145 approved organisation until such time as the author of the maintenance data has clarified the issue by e.g. amending the maintenance data.

2. The referenced procedure should be specified in the MOE.

AMC1 145.A.45(d) Maintenance data

The referenced procedure should address the need for a practical demonstration by the maintenance personnel proposing the change to the compliance monitoring personnel, of the modified maintenance instruction. Depending on the nature of the maintenance instruction modification, a risk assessment may be required to demonstrate that an equivalent or improved maintenance standard is reached. When satisfied, the compliance monitoring personnel should approve the modified maintenance instruction, and ensure that the author of the maintenance instruction is informed of the modified maintenance instruction. The procedure should include a paper/electronic traceability of the complete process from start to finish, and ensure that the relevant maintenance instruction clearly identifies the modification. Modified maintenance instructions should only be used in the following circumstances:

(a) Where the original intent of the maintenance instruction can be carried out in a more practical or more efficient manner.

(b) Where the original intent of the maintenance instruction cannot be achieved when following the maintenance instructions. For example, where a component cannot be replaced following the original maintenance instructions.

(c) For the use of alternative tools / equipment.

Important Note: Critical Design Configuration Control Limitations (CDCCL) are airworthiness limitations. Any modification of the maintenance instructions linked to CDCCL constitutes a change to a (restricted) type certificate that should be approved in accordance with Part 21 or Part 21 Light.

To keep data up-to-date, a procedure should be set up to monitor the amendment status of all data and maintain a check that all amendments are being received by being a subscriber to any document amendment scheme. Special attention should be given to mandatory instructions and associated airworthiness limitations published by design approval holders or the declarant of a declaration of design compliance.