The Aeronautical Repair Station Association (ARSA) has filed a formal complaint with the FAA against the Rolls-Royce Corporation. The complaint alleges that Rolls-Royce has not provided basic safety information about its engine as required by the Federal Aviation Regulations (FARs).

Instructions for Continued Airworthiness, or ICA, are the technical manuals necessary for performing engine maintenance. The failure of some aircraft, engine and component manufacturers to make complete ICA available to qualified and certificated maintenance providers is an industry-wide problem.

The November 23, 2005 complaint documents the refusal of Rolls-Royce to provide ICA to Helicopter Engine Repair Overhaul Services Inc. (H.E.R.O.S.), a certificated repair station located in Glendale, CA. H.E.R.O.S. requires ICA from Rolls-Royce to perform maintenance on certain parts of the Model 250 Engine.

As the holder of an FAA "design approval", Rolls-Royce must prepare maintenance and overhaul instructions and make them available to anyone required to comply with those instructions.

This issue affects large numbers of repair stations and ARSA urges the FAA to address this problem in a timely manner.

FMI: www.arsa.org/files/Final.Filed.Heros.ICA.Part13.Complaint.11.23.05.pdf