Says Cert Process Was Performed Safely, But Communication Needs
Improvement
ANN REALTIME REPORTING 09.12.08 1430 EDT: The
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) agreed Friday to act on the
recommendations of a team that reviewed the agency’s
certification of the Eclipse 500 very light jet. The team found
that the airplane was certificated in accordance with safety
regulations, but that the agency could improve policies and
communication procedures used during the VLJ certification
process.
"This review tells us that while we made the right call in
certifying this aircraft, the process we used could and should have
been better coordinated. These recommendations will be invaluable
as we continue certifying these new types of aircraft," said Acting
FAA Administrator Robert A. Sturgell.
Sturgell said the review team, headed by former Boeing executive
Jerry Mack, issued six recommendations as part of the Eclipse
certification review, and that the agency is committed to acting on
each of the recommendations. Those recommendations are as
follows:
- The FAA should develop guidance for demonstrating compliance to
regulatory requirements based on a combination of software and
system development processes.
- The FAA should revise Advisory Circular 23/1309-1C, Equipment,
Systems, and Installations in Part 23 Airplanes, to address the
emergency of turbine engine airplanes weighing 6000 lb. or less
maximum certificated weight.
- The FAA and Eclipse should conduct a root cause analysis of the
operational trim and mistrim issues being reported in the
field.
- The FAA and Eclipse should conduct a root analysis of the trim
actuator failures documented through the SDR system and other
in-service reports.
- All cognizant FAA offices within the Aviation Safety
Organization should work together to establish appropriate
correction for fire suppression bottle failure issues documented
through the SDR system and other in-service reports.
- The FAA should reevaluate the criteria for applicability of
function and reliability testing.
Sturgell said the lessons learned
from one of the first certifications of a new type of aircraft will
help the agency as it examines the approximately eight other VLJ
certification applications pending before the FAA.
The team focused on the certification of airplane trim, flaps,
cockpit displays, and stall speeds. The team determined that, for
the most part, in-service difficulties were not related to the
certification of the aircraft.
The team noted it is common for technical problems to be
encountered during type certification of a new airplane, but that a
lack of commonly used internal FAA documentation caused the
perception that the aircraft might not have been properly
certified.
It also cited a lack of effective communication between Eclipse
and the FAA, and between the responsible offices within the
agency.
Sturgell said that the FAA agrees with all of the findings and
recommendations in the report and is committed to taking the
appropriate steps to ensure that increased communications and
better procedures are put in place as the agency moves forward with
the certification of this new category of aircraft.
The review was prompted by concerns raised by FAA inspectors,
represented by the National Air Traffic Controllers Association.
The review team consisted of FAA experts with specialties such as
flight testing, avionics and certification.
Eclipse said it would not comment on the findings of the report.
As ANN reported, the company faces a
Congressional hearing next week before the House Transportation and
Infrastructure Committee, regarding the concerns that prompted the
FAA review.