This Opinion proposes to amend Regulations (EU) Nos 1321/2014 and 748/2012 with the following objectives:

• enhance the safety standards for aircraft imported into the EU and ensure that the airworthiness standards of EU-registered aircraft are well maintained. This includes:
  • unlocking situations linked with aircraft coming from a different regulatory framework (e.g. third countries, state aviation) prior to being integrated into the Basic Regulation scope, as well as to facilitate the transfer of aircraft between Member State (MS) registries;
  • mitigating the risks linked to airworthiness reviews (ARs) that are improperly carried out, which could prevent the detection of shortcomings in continuing airworthiness management;
• facilitate the implementation of the process related to the issuance of airworthiness certificates, airworthiness review certificates (ARC) and reporting of occurrences, ensuring that it is as straightforward and simple as possible. This includes:
  • clarifying the current ambiguities in the rules related to the issuance of an airworthiness certificate and an ARC in order to achieve standardised implementation in all MSs;
  • reducing the duplication of tasks and dilution of responsibilities between organisations and national competent authorities;
  • aligning the requirements for continuing airworthiness organisations and individuals subject to Annex I (Part-M) and Annex Vb (Part-ML) to Regulation (EU) No 1321/2014 regarding the reporting, analysis and follow-up of occurrences in civil aviation with those of Regulation (EU) No 376/2014.

It is therefore proposed to:

• include a smother process for transferring aircraft between MSs;
• provide an alternative for cases where the airworthiness statement is missing when importing an aircraft;
• minimise the cases where a recommendation for the issuance of the ARC is needed;
• introduce provisions for issuing airworthiness certificates for aircraft previously excluded from the Basic Regulation.

The proposed regulatory material is expected to enhance aviation safety, increase cost-efficiency, reduce regulatory burden and improve the harmonisation and simplification of rules.

CS-29 Amendment 12 | Reduction in accidents caused by failures of critical rotor and rotor drive components through improved vibration health monitoring systems

The use of vibration health monitoring (VHM) systems to monitor the condition of critical rotor and rotor drive components has been demonstrated to improve incipient fault detection capabilities by complementing those provided by traditional inspection techniques. However, the current acceptable means of compliance (AMC) are not sufficient to ensure that these systems can be certified to be used to optimise the continuing airworthiness for rotorcraft systems.

The regulatory material issued with this Decision identifies ways to certify VHM systems so that they can be a more integral part of the continuing airworthiness process of the rotorcraft and to provide better and updated guidance on the design and operation of these systems, as well as on their effective in-service use. This will result in VHM systems supporting the optimisation of the continuing airworthiness of the rotor and rotor drive systems, thus, reducing the risk of maintenance errors and, potentially, increasing the likelihood of early fault detection.

The amendment to the AMC to CS 29.1465 clarifies the means for establishing compliance where VHM applications are used for airworthiness-related purposes for the rotor and/or rotor drive system. In addition, the guidance provided in this AMC and in the newly developed GM should help to promote the development of VHM systems with improved fidelity and reliability.

With this regulatory material, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency (EASA) addresses the safety recommendation received by EASA (UNKG-2018-007) related to an accident that occurred on 28 December 2016 at the West Franklin wellhead platform, North Sea, UK, involving a Sikorsky S-92A helicopter (registered G-WNSR)